Freedom's Prisoner
by tesha198
Summary: Katara returns from the market to find Aang, Sokka and Toph have been captured. She ventures to the Fire Nation palace to rescue them only to be discovered by Zuko. She manages to escape capture but now he has his sights set on her. A Zutara fic.
1. Chapter 1

Katara guardedly peered around yet another corridor corner. Upon finding no one in sight she crept forward, lingering in the shadows that swept across the marble floors and up the elegantly decorated walls.

It had been days since Aang, alongside Sokka and Toph, had been captured by the Fire Nation. Her ice blue eyes narrowed in renewed frustration as she tried once again to determine how in the span of her short trip to the market the entire group had been so quickly apprehended.

Now here she was, the only one still with her freedom, blindly sneaking through the Fire Lord's palace in search of the others. She sighed, finding herself completely lost, and spun around to retrace her steps.

That's when she heard it. Their voices were quiet at first, a mere drone in the distance that echoed hollowly off the oversized halls and high ceilings. The closer they got the louder their voices became, and she cursed the minimalist design of the palace that gave her no form of shelter from view. Panicking as they grew nearer and closer to discovering her presence, she frantically ducked into the only room in view. The large door was heavy to push open and groaned as she did so, causing her to flinch at the sound. Carefully she held the door open just a crack and watched as the guards passed, chatting obliviously. They turned slightly to glance at the door she was hidden behind, as if they had heard it open, but made no move to check who had done so and continued on without pause.

When the men were finally out of sight, their voices no longer within earshot, she exhaled the breath she had been holding. She slumped forwards, resting her forehead against the door, and breathing deeply as her accelerated heart rate began to slow in her chest. When she finally felt calm enough to venture out of the room she straightened up and took a few steps back, straight into something hard and warm.

Her breath caught in her throat once more as she slowly extended the palm of her hand backwards and into the clearly human figure she was now pressed tightly against. His skin was hot against hers where her Fire Nation disguise exposed her usually covered body, and she could tell without turning to face him that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

She cursed under her breath at how easily she had been found and spun to face him in the hopes of feigning being lost. However, any hopes of that plan succeeding were immediately vanquished as she spun to come face to face with none other than her least favorite firebender, Zuko.

His face was pulled into an irritated frown, his gold eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a taut line. His shaggy hair was mussed, some pieces sticking up while others fell in front of his eyes. She looked past him to the rumpled red sheets on the oversized bed, concluding she had woken him up.

He crossed his arms across his chest, surveying her silently. When his golden eyes locked on her ice blues his cold mask of irritation broke into a mixture of shock and angered recognition. He opened his mouth as if to call for nearby guards and she lunged forwards, clamping both her hands over his mouth. His eyes widened at her action, as if he couldn't believe she had the audacity to touch him, before he ripped her hands away, tightly gripping her wrists and refusing to let go.

Katara cringed at the pain of his tight grip, fighting a silent battle of wills with him using her eyes. The rest of the palace was quiet, her having snuck in at night, and she didn't want to rouse suspicion of anyone nearby who would aid in her capture.

"Well I cant say I'm surprised." He ground out, never breaking their intense staring match.

His expression seemed to imply she was insane for taking such a risk by sneaking into the palace, something Katara wished she could smack off his face if not for her hands being trapped by his hold.

"Let go!" she barked, ripping her arms out of his iron grip and stumbling slightly from the force of her own action.

He raised his eyebrow, seemingly amused by her unabashed disdain for him and lack of fear in showing it. She deepened her glare at him response, standing as tall as possible to show she wouldn't be intimidated.

He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off before he had the chance by a knocking from outside the door. He looked past her, wrinkling his nose in frustration at the interruption, then back at her. The knock turned into a pounding, growing louder and angrier with every moment that it was left unanswered until he huffed and moved to answer it.

The second he stepped in her direction, Katara flew past him and towards the large open window that he had been blocking just moments prior. He spun, reaching his hand towards her fleeing figure. His hand missed seizing the ends of her hair by milliseconds, and he watched as she paused, crouching on the oversized window frame to look back at him, before jumping out the window altogether.

He raced forwards, watching as the pond in the courtyard rose to meet her falling figure. The water danced up, encasing her feet then the rest of her form, before settling back into a seamless surface that reflected the moonlight like a mirror. If he hadn't just witnessed her being swallowed up by the small pool of water, he'd never have believed it had moved. She was somewhere beneath the surface, hidden from all but the coy fish that swam below, and he supposed it would be impossible for anyone else to find her in her natural element.

His attention was drawn back to the door, the pounding having grown so forceful he feared the door would break by the persons hand. He flung it open, none too pleased with whoever had disturbed him, to find Azula standing in the hall.

Her lips were pursed in clear irritation, her normally cold mask now displaying outright rage. She leaned to the side, her emotionless eyes scanning the room before settling on Zuko in the doorway.

"I thought I heard something." She pried, watching his reaction carefully as she did so.

"I fell out of bed." Zuko replied, desperately trying to keep his face from revealing his lie as images of Katara's retreating body flashed through his mind.

Azula paused, as if gauging whether to accept what she clearly knew was fabricated, before rolling her eyes and turning to leave.

"Don't hurt yourself ZuZu." She scoffed, the corners of her mouth pulling up into the subtlest of smirks. "I'd _hate_ to see you collapse."

He shut the door as she walked away, making his way back to the window. Somewhere in the palace a rogue waterbender was roaming about, and he knew just where to lie in wait for her return.


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Ok so for all those following any of my stories, I'm sorry updates are slow but I'm currently in the midst of finals. Soon as they're over I'll update every story for sure! Also thanks to all the reviewers you guys and girls rock hard :D **_

Katara surfaced outside the palace walls. She came up slowly, careful not to draw unnecessary attention to herself as she did so. Her blue eyes scanned the area wearily before she fully came up for air.

Around the small body of water was what appeared to be a large camp. She silently ducked behind a rock, noticing the camp was filled with men. She closed her eyes, exhaling in an attempt to center herself, before carefully peering out from behind the rock's cover.

The men in the camp were dressed shabbily in worn out tunics, all varying in their shades of red. Besides the natural body of water she was now stuck in, the rest of the area appeared to be man made. At first glance she had thought the tall walls surrounding the pool had been rock, a naturally occurring chasm somewhere outside the main city. Upon closer inspection she noted that although the chasm walls may have once been a natural occurrence they were now coated in a thick layer of metal, as was the ground surrounding the water.

Each time she moved the water lapped at the metal ground, echoing quietly throughout the pit. She cringed, steadying her breath and focusing on controlling the ripples her movement was causing so as to not alert others to her presence.

Her eyes continued to dart around the bizarre metal hole in the ground. A few tattered huts littered the small amount of dry space at the edge of the water. A fire was lit in some of them, the smoke of it rising towards the sky and filling the air with the stench of smoke and whatever the men had left burning unattended. Following the path of the smoke upwards, she noted that a metal grating that spanned the entirety of the hole's opening obscured the starry night sky.

She frowned, wondering to herself if Zuko had knowingly allowed her to escape into what he knew to be a Fire Nation prison. She contemplated turning around to return to the pond within the palace walls, but if he had known she would undoubtedly resurface to a dangerous trap.

She scowled, noting that no guards were actually in the pit. Above she could see them occasionally walk by over the grate as their shadows obstructed her view of the moon's glow.

She mentally put together the pieces of her surroundings. She could see the sky, meaning she was outside somewhere. The walls surrounding her were tall, and yet the guards walked the surface above, implying she was in a hole in the ground rather than a raised prison. Besides this she had no clue to her whereabouts. She knew she couldn't have been too far from the palace seeing as the bodies of water were connected naturally and she had only been under for a short time.

On the metal shore Katara could hear the prisoners voices growing louder and more heated as some sort of argument began to break out. She rolled her eyes, amazed that the men were wasting their energy on such a thing when they could have been forming an escape plan. Then she heard it. An all too familiar voice cut through the ruckus of the other men, loudly drawing their attention and halting their childish display. She practically lunged out from behind the rock, filled with a mixture of relief, dismay and joy. Standing on the metal shore, lecturing the other men on their childish behavior, was Haru.

Katara swam discretely to the shore, careful not to draw attention to herself. The men were all facing Haru and listening to his scolding, some with respect and others with clear disdain written across their faces. None noticed as she stepped ashore, her soft footsteps sending muffled echoes throughout the prison. She approached the crowd of men with Haru at its center, one by one drawing looks of shock from the men as she pushed past them. Finally she reached the center of the gaggle of prisoners and stared at Haru as if he would vanish if she took even one step closer to him.

Haru's eyes widened in shock then his mouth pulled up at the corners and he lunged forwards to embrace her in a hug. She laughed lightheartedly as his large arms wrapped around her and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around before setting her gently down again.

She was surprised at how much he had changed in such a short time. His form had definitely filled out and become more defined, and she was sure that his bending had improved based on his newly acquired muscles that came with endless hours of training. He was taller now, though not by much, and his face was slimmer, his jaw now squared and home to a mustache and goatee.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, breaking her train of thought and drawing her back to her present situation.

Her face hardened into a cold mask as she peered around the prison at the faces of the captured men, some having still not gotten over their shock of her sudden appearance and some staring at her with a lust she's rather not have noticed.

"The details can wait," she stated, drawing her gaze back to Haru. "First things first, let's get out of here."

She heard a few of the men scoff and narrowed her eyes fiercely at them, causing them to flinch back from the unexpected warning that lay behind her ice blues.

"We're all earthbenders, Katara." Haru stated, gesturing to the rest of the men. "There's nothing for us to bend here, not even coal."

She could see him flashing back to their previous escape from the Fire Nation vessel he had been held prisoner on, a subtle smirk pulling at the corners of his mouth.

"Maybe so." Katara smirked, narrowing her eyes deviously. "But I'm not."

She craned her neck and looked up at the bars preventing their escape, then down at the water lapping at the metal shore.

"I have an idea." She grinned, stretching her arms out in front of her and cracking her knuckles.

She calmly walked to the edge of the water, the men's gazes following her every movement. When she reached the edge where the water licked the metal she kept walking. The men's eyes widened at her as her feet stepped onto the liquid as if it were solid ground, the only thing proving otherwise being the ripples that flowed out from around her feet with every step she took. When she reached the middle of the small body of water she stopped and turned back to face the men on the shore. She closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply, feeling the presence of the water beneath her feet, the way it ebbed and flowed and rippled beneath her stance. When she was perfectly centered, her eyes snapped open and she began to move atop the water in fluid motions as if dancing. The men on the shore watched in awe as the water began to dance with her, the entirety of the water shooting upwards in tendrils. A piercing screech echoed through the hole as the water crashed against the metal bars above, sending screws raining down onto the men followed by diced pieces of the bars that had once locked them in.

The men cheered, dodging the falling hunks of metal that were pelting them. Above she heard guards calling for reinforcements and surrounding the pit.

She pulled the watery tendrils back down to rejoin the body of water she stood atop. With a fluid motion of her arms and an icy exhale of breath the surface of the pool froze and she waved for the men to join her on its surface. They hesitated, as if unsure whether they wanted to risk it, then followed Haru as he clumsily waddled across its surface to join her. When all the men were safely on the sheet of ice, she planted her feet and gracefully raised her arms above her head in a circular motion. A few of the men fell backwards into a seated position as the unfrozen water beneath the sheet of ice jerked upwards lifting them towards the open hole and to freedom.

From that point the escape was simple. The earthbenders took to the fight as enthusiastically as she'd expected they would after being separated from their element for who knows how long. The firebender guards were easily defeated, and substantially outnumbered, clearly having not expected any sort of escape to occur.

* * *

Katara and the group of escapees stood in the forest panting to catch their breath after bolting away from the prison before reinforcements came. They were far enough away now that the guards would take a while to catch up to them.

Occasionally Katara would feel some of the men glancing at her when they thought she wouldn't notice, and a slight blush crept across her cheeks despite her best efforts to prevent it.

"So," Haru began, trying to speak through his panting. "Can I know why you're here now?"

Katara nodded, then hesitated in search of the right words.

"Aang and the others have been captured." Haru's eyes narrowed in understanding at her words. "To be honest I didn't plan to find you, I just used a secret river to escape the Fire Nation palace when I was discovered and it led me to where you were."

"I see." Haru nodded, his face contorting into a mix of understanding and disappointment as she explained her accidental discovery of him. Katara didn't seem to notice the disappointment though.

"But now that I found you, I need your help." Katara's voice was firm and assertive, yet more of a request than a demand.

"We'll help you any way we can." Haru responded, gesturing to a few of the other men that had been listening in on the conversation. The men nodded in reaffirmation of Haru's promise and stepped forwards to join into their conversation directly.

"Good." Katara smiled thankfully at all of them. "Because I think I know how we're going to get back into the palace."


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN: Two exams down two to go! So close to freedom I can almost taste it! Anyways this was already written so I figured I'd upload it while I had a chance. Please Review and let me know what you think :) **_

Katara smoothed her new skirt, desperately trying to avoid the stares of the men around her. Frankly she was beginning to regret this idea already, but it was too late to back down now.

Haru cleared his throat to break the awkward silence and draw her attention to him, narrowing his eyes at the group of men leering at Katara.

"So how exactly is this a good plan?" He questioned, making extreme eye contact with her in a desperate attempt to avoid looking at her scantily clad figure.

"I never said it was a _good_ plan." she sighed, rubbing the space between her eyebrows where she could feel a stress headache beginning to surface. "I said it was an _effective_ plan."

Haru cocked one eyebrow unconvinced, his mouth setting into a firm line as he restrained himself from pointing out the difference was a matter of semantics.

"I still don't believe this is going to work." He continued. "I'm sure the Fire Nation capital sees traveling entertainers all the time."

"And _I_ still can't believe you managed to get recaptured so soon after being freed!" Katara snapped back, frustrated by his pestering doubt.

Haru frowned, raising his hands in mock surrender before crossing his arms agitatedly across his chest.

"Look." Katara began, explaining for the millionth time in the past hour why the plan was sound. "Contrary to popular belief the Fire Nation is not a big attraction for entertainers. There's the odd circus rolling through cities but other than that not much goes on in terms of _fun_. That's why when something does come along people are desperate to see it. It's rare! Like a bear!"

"You mean a platypus bear? Those are pretty common." A man cut in from behind Haru.

"No. Just a _bear_." She replied, sighing exasperatedly.

"Huh." The man grunted, his face contorting into confusion as he tried to picture the odd creature.

"That's why when we roll into the capital city it'll draw a lot of attention." She continued.

"And remind me why attention is a good thing when we're planning a prison break." Haru ground out, tapping his foot against the earth to remain calm.

"Because." Katara retorted, slowly running out of patience. "After my visit to the palace they're bound to be on high alert for intruders. If we try to just waltz in there now we'll be captured for sure. This way we'll be invited to enter no questions asked. As I've explained repeatedly for the past hour, the Fire Lord is a proud man. He thinks he's entitled to anything he wants. As soon as he hears about something as rare as a troop of Nomad dancers, especially a female dancer, he'll want to seize it for himself."

"But what makes you think he'll be interested in the first place?" Haru bit back, pinching the bridge of his nose as his face scrunched into desperation to change her mind.

"He's a man. A single man." Katara narrowed her eyes at his tone. "Are you questioning my abilities? Or is it merely my appearance you find objectionable?"

Haru sighed, clearly he wasn't winning this argument. Not only that but he had effectively dug himself into a hole deeper than the prison he had just fled. He knew she was right in her assumption she would be summoned to the palace. If the Fire Lord was any kind of hot-blooded man, and based his element it was a fair guess he was, the instant he heard rumors of Katara they would be escorted by guards up to the palace to dance for him. And that was exactly what he didn't like about this plan. It was one thing to hear rumors of a beautiful dancer roaming about the capital but as soon as he actually laid eyes on her and her scantily clad figure he would want more than to watch her dance, he would want to _claim_ her. This was an extremely dangerous gamble.

Of course the men would all be with her, posing as her band and various other positions she would need assistance with if she were a real traveling dancer. Still once they were inside the palace there was little any of them could do to prevent the advances of royalty without blowing their cover.

* * *

Haru watched as Katara danced in the square. A circle of citizens had formed around them, mostly men who had been drawn in by her sensual movements, and he already hated this plan with a passion. The crowd's eyes followed her like a hawk, the men all leering over her exposed tanned flesh.

With every movement the metal pieces that comprised her attire jangled. He scowled, desperately wanting to stop strumming the pipa he was currently playing and leap up to cover her with real clothes.

Her shirt, if you could call it that, functioned only to cover her breasts and nothing more. Held on only by thin red ribbons that tied around her neck and back, the cups of the shirt were home to hundreds of gold circular metal pieces that dangled like extremely expensive icicles. In the center of her chest where the two cups met sat a fire nation insignia broach crafted out of a beautiful red jewel that sparkled under the midday sun. Her skirt sat low on her hips, and although it reached the floor it covered very little. The space around her ass and hips was covered by skin tight fabric entirely coated in matching golden metal pieces to her top. The golden metal ended just below her rear however, transforming into layers of a sheer red fabric that billowed as she moved. The fabric was cut up the sides to allow for movement as she danced and her long toned legs peaked out with every step she took. The sheer fabric of the skirt flew around her like a sensual mist that followed her every motion. The rattling of her metallic gold shirt and skirt were accompanied by the clanking of her anklets, seamless gold encrusted with tiny red jewels that matched the broach of her top. Finally, masking her face below her eyes was a sheer piece of fabric, the same red color as her billowing skirt.

Around him the other men were playing various instruments, some pounding out drumbeats, some strumming various string instruments and one inexplicably playing a tsungi horn. The crowd was growing ever larger and he hoped that the palace would summon them before the owner of the clothes and instruments they had stolen clued in to the fact they were missing.

"Stop!" Haru bellowed, suddenly as he noticed an unnerving looking man leaning forward to place his hands on Katara.

Both Katara and the man froze in place, the music stopping as she ceased her dance. Haru cleared his throat to regain his composure before arching an eyebrow at the man and addressing him directly.

"That dancer is the most highly valued dancer in the Nation." He lied through his teeth, narrowing his eyes at the man and daring him to continue. "Are you prepared to pay the appropriate cost for a touch?"

The man unfroze and withdrew his hands from Katara's direction, frantically shaking his head and rejoining the crowd. He looked petrified, and although Haru was glad his lie had been effective, it didn't warrant such a terrified expression on his part. Haru turned his head to follow the man's gaze to find palace guards glowering at the poor man threateningly. By the time Haru turned back to where the man had stood he was gone, having run off in the opposite direction to the guards.

"Follow us." One of the guards stated dryly, setting his gaze on Katara.

She nodded and glided after him elegantly, maintaining her façade. Haru and the rest of the men picked up their instruments and what not and traipsed behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

Zuko sat in the throne room of the palace, irritated beyond compare. He had been dragged away from his self-appointed post outside the avatar's cell on a summons from his father. What he had assumed was going to be urgent news or a war meeting, however, had turned out to be nothing more than a need for an audience for some dancer. Apparently there was a renowned dance troop within the city and his father had taken it upon himself to summon them to the castle to perform. The throne room was now home to a gaggle of high ranking military men all sitting patiently awaiting the arrival of the dancer. Frankly Zuko found this whole thing ridiculous, if not for his father sitting behind the high wall of flames on his throne only a few feet away, Zuko would have already made a hasty exit.

A few servants made rounds throughout the room, filling wine glasses and offering a tray of what appeared to be finger foods to the men. Zuko glanced at his father, who was silently sipping his wine with a scowl, and decided to follow suit. He heard the door to the room open and turned to watch the dancer enter, nearly choking on his wine as a result. His father glared at him harshly and spat his name at him as if it were an insult in response to Zuko's hysterical coughing. He quickly regained his self-control with one last cough and stared wide eyed at the scantily clad dancer across the room.

Uncomfortably he peered at the other men, noting they were all leering at her as if she were a piece of meat. None, however, seemed to notice that the so-called dancer the Fire Lord had summoned to the palace was in fact Katara. She'd done an excellent job concealing her identity he had to admit, but her tanned skin and ice blue eyes were permanently burned into his mind after their last encounter and regardless of what she wore he was confident he would be able to identify her.

He said nothing, made no move to approach her and no move to alert the other men. He simply watched, too intrigued by what she was plotting to give her away. Besides, his mouth seemed to not be functioning right regardless as he slowly surveyed her exposed body and toned figure. He took a swig of his wine in a desperate attempt to relieve his dry mouth and distract his mind from unwanted thoughts that were creeping up on him.

He watched as some men carrying instruments followed her into the room and the guard in the hall shut the ornate door when they were inside. A man with a mustache placed his hand protectively on Katara's back and she smiled up at him and nodded in agreement to whatever he was saying. Zuko felt his stomach churn and his temper flare at the man's intimate hold on Katara's skin, though he refused to admit it was from jealousy. After all the men were seated on the floor of the room, holding their instruments, Katara stepped forwards into the middle of the open floor. Zuko swallowed hard as her sheer skirt billowed out around her legs as she moved, captivated by the gentle chimes of her golden attire.

She leaned forwards, bowing in respect to his father and flashing a racy amount of cleavage as she did so, though he was sure she wasn't aware of it. He couldn't help but wonder where in Agni's name she had found those clothes. Were they hers? He seriously doubted she would own anything so revealing, but at the same time he also found it hard to believe she would take part in thievery.

After holding the bow for the appropriate amount of time, she stood straight and glanced at the man with the mustache. The man nodded, a frown spreading across his face. Zuko arched his brow, silently wondering how many hearts of her new male company she had unwittingly stolen. The man with the mustache was clearly unhappy with her sensual behavior in front of other men, and upon closer inspection he noted a few of the other men were surveying the Fire Nation generals with similar frowns on their faces.

He returned his gaze to Katara, who now stood with her eyes closed in the center of the room, her body wrapped in a sheer red piece of fabric that she held in place with her delicate hands. The men began to play, a steady drum beat filling the otherwise silent throne room. As the beat began Katara's closed eyes snapped open to the half lidded sultry gaze of a woman in heat. She fluidly opened her arms to the sides, the sheer fabric she held pulling away from her body to reveal her sensual figure beneath. Her movements looked effortless, her arms gently gliding the sheer strip of fabric she held around her like a living mist as she swayed to the music seductively. As the music played on she danced up to one of the generals and wrapped the sheer piece of fabric around his neck, leaning in close then pulling away just as quickly, leaving the fabric dangling around his shoulders like an effeminate scarf.

Zuko withheld an angry snarl as he saw the general blush slightly then lick his lips as she danced away. He couldn't believe his eyes. The innocent little girl he had fought so many months ago had somehow been replaced with a seductive woman who could manipulate men better than any Fire Nation woman he had met to date. What had happened in the time since their last encounter?

He was quickly snapped out of his train of thought by the wild clapping from the other men in the room. The music had stopped playing and he looked back at Katara to find her in the splits on the floor, her back arched and her arms gently bent above her head. Her chest was heaving slightly from the exercise, and her tan skin glistened with beads of sweat masked only by her long silken locks that flowed down her still arched back.

Through the loud clapping of the men cut a slow, sharp clap from behind the wall of flames. He turned to see his fathers usual downturned scowl pulling up ever so slightly at the corners, his eyes were set on Katara like a wild animal stalking its prey. Zuko had an extremely bad feeling about this. He wanted to leap up and drag her out of the room to anywhere but here. But he didn't. He knew the consequences for upsetting his father all to well, and it was not a mistake he would willingly make a second time. So he sat there in ridged silence, urging Katara with every ounce of noiseless willpower he had to turn tail and run as far from his demonic father as she possibly could. She never moved.

* * *

Katara breathed heavily, basking in the loud roar of the men as they cheered her performance. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Zuko wasn't clapping but decided to ignore it, not wanting to draw his attention to her and reveal her identity.

The Fire Lord's slow clap cut through the noise of the other men and she relaxed her pose to watch him slowly stand behind the large wall of fire. An eerie smile was plastered on his lips that balanced somewhere between a scowl and a threat.

"Excellent." His cold, hoarse voice declared, sending unpleasant chills across the back of her neck.

He waved his hand in her direction and two females, servants she presumed, rushed up to her and ushered her off the ground and out of the room along with the men she had brought as musicians.

Katara's heart was thundering in her chest as she was wedged in between the two women and briskly lead down a long winding hall. Concerned they had been discovered she shot Haru a frantic glance. He met her gaze and patted the air with his hands as if to urge her to remain calm. She nodded and continued to walk, calming slightly from his reassurance.

"These will be your quarters." One of the women's voices rang out, soft and beautiful like a bell.

Katara's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she stepped forwards to peer into the room the women were gesturing to.

"Excuse me?" Katara prodded, not entirely sure she was grasping what was happening.

The women ushered them into the room, not acknowledging Katara's question save for an eye roll they thought she hadn't seen.

"Someone will be along soon to see to your arrangements." One of the women stated to Katara before closing the door to the room and bustling away with her companion.

Katara's mouth hung open in shock. "Well on the plus side, the plan worked." She stated to Haru and the other men.

"You have no idea what's happening, do you?" Haru sighed.

Katara frowned, raising her chin to object defiantly that she did then decided against it and meekly shook her head no.

"Getting in was easy." Haru sighed. "Now that the Fire Lord has you in his sights it's getting _out_ that's going to be the problem."

* * *

_**AN: ok so in case my description of the dance was lacking, the style I envision is a kind of belly dance exotic type number. If you want to see kind of what I mean, check out this link watch?v=RkXCBB9wYfc**_


	5. Chapter 5

Katara stood with her arms outstretched, mentally reliving every painful minute of Haru's very in depth explanation of why she was now in danger. It had seemed his lecture would have gone on forever had a knock on the room door not silenced him. He'd stared at the door as if the Spirits themselves were waiting for him on the other side. When one of the other men opened the door, however, a stout woman dressed in simple attire bustled in and Haru instantly relaxed. She twittered to the men and Katara about the dance performance and how the news of it had apparently spread throughout the palace before herding Katara into one of the adjoining bedrooms.

At first Katara had been thankful for the escape from Haru, but after over an hour of standing completely still while the woman measured and prodded and twittered she was praying for Haru to burst in and rescue her, lecture or not. Apparently the Fire Lord had instructed the woman, otherwise known as the palace tailor, to see to Katara. So she was now being forced to remain still while she was fitted for new clothes. The only thing she took solace in was the fact that she had a hand in the design of the dress she was being stuffed into.

"Look," Katara began, cringing as the tailor stuck her with a pin as she moved. "As beautiful as this dress is looking, I really have to go."

The woman looked up from her work, arching an eyebrow skeptically at Katara. "Go where?"

Katara held her breath, desperately trying to come up with something that would take precedence over enduring another hour of standing still and being stuck with pins.

"I need to… go to rehearsal." She stammered out as quickly as it popped into her mind.

The woman stopped, meeting Katara's eyes as if to search for any reminisce of a lie. After a few moments she broke the stare, apparently not finding what she was searching for, and sighed.

"Yes, I've heard you're to perform again tomorrow evening." The woman sighed, beginning to carefully remove the half finished dress from Katara.

Katara opened her mouth to rebut that she hadn't been told anything of the sort, but quickly restrained herself. At least the rumored performance gave some truth to her need to leave, though she was annoyed that she hadn't known she had to dance again so soon.

When the woman finished removing the dress Katara let out a sigh of relief and slouched, her stiff muscles screaming from the sudden movement.

"Wear these until the dress is finished." The tailor chided, pushing clothes in Katara's direction. "I can't have you wandering the castle in those… clothes."

Katara frowned as the woman said the last word as if it left a horrible taste in her mouth, and took the clothes from the woman's hands. What she had worn into the palace wasn't exactly conventional but there was no need to be rude about it. As quickly as she could she threw the clothes on then rushed out of the room. They were nothing special, just a plain floor-length red skirt and a loose long-sleeved top that showed her midriff, but she was grateful for anything that would let her make a hasty exit.

The men were all lounging around the common area of the quarters, looking bored and slightly uncomfortable being so deep in enemy territory.

"Time to practice." Katara practically shouted as she ran out of the bedroom she'd been trapped in.

The men all stared at her in wide-eyed confusion at her sudden outburst.

"What are you talking about?" one of the men asked from his position lounging on the floor with a cup game he was playing with another man.

The tailor emerged from the bedroom with her lips pursed crossly.

"Honestly, if you aren't going to practice then we have time to finish the dress." She pressed, tapping her foot and crossing her arms. "It should only take another hour or so."

Katara's eyes widened and searched the room pleadingly before settling on Haru. He raised his eyebrows, understanding flashing across his face as an amused smirk played at his lips.

"I think what he means to say is we need a rehearsal space." Haru quickly added. "Would you mind seeing if such a thing is available?"

The woman sighed then nodded, bustling out of the room dress in hand.

"Thank Yue!" Katara sighed, exasperatedly collapsing onto a nearby chaise the second the door had safely closed behind the tailor.

Haru and a few of the other men chuckled at her extreme reaction.

"You know she'll be back in a few minutes to take us to the space." Haru's voice reminded her with another chuckle.

Katara sighed then sat up from her sprawl on the chaise to speak to the men.

"Now that we're here we have to find Aang and the others." She stated, reminding them of their original goal. "When she's leading us to the space a few of you need to sneak off and see if you can find where they're being held."

No one said anything and Katara frowned at their lack of ambition.

"Look, I'd do it myself but it would be too conspicuous if the person doing the rehearsing suddenly vanished from the rehearsal." Katara pointed out firmly. "Besides if you get found just say you got lost looking for the rehearsal space, that way no one will suspect anything."

The men were silent for a minute before a couple of them volunteered. Katara smiled at them and thanked them, falling silent just as the woman returned, this time without the dress, to direct them.

Zuko walked briskly through the palace halls, desperately trying to clear his mind as visions of Katara danced through his thoughts. Right after her performance had been a war meeting, followed by mandatory firebending drills his father had begun insisting he do, all culminating in yet another war meeting. He was exhausted, and it took everything he had to simply remain upright as he made his way to his chambers. He was so exhausted in fact that he almost didn't notice the music drifting through the halls from the ballroom as he approached it.

At first he stopped dead in his tracks, unable to imagine anyone in the ballroom that hadn't been used since his mother had disappeared. His father wasn't exactly one for hosting parties, so the ballroom had gone unused for years.

He could hear her laugh, as he got closer. Even without looking into the room he could tell it was Katara, could pick out her soft, almost melodic voice through the deep male voices that laughed alongside her.

"This place has to be coated in a foot of dust!" one of the men exclaimed, his voice echoing off the pillars that stretched to the ceiling and through the vacant room.

"Anything is better than being a human statue for that tailor." Katara sighed.

Zuko chuckled at her remark, memories of the round woman's pushy attitude prickling at his mind. It had certainly been a long time since the tailor had had a captive subject to work on, seeing as how Azula wasn't exactly one to wear fancy dresses, or be any kind of captive for that matter. By now Katara was probably the human doll the tailor had always wished for.

He peered around the entrance to the room to get a look at her. She was fooling around like a child, laughing while making footprints and drawings in the layer of dust that coated the floor. The veil that had originally hidden part of her face was gone now, and her smile was radiant. He wondered how he'd never noticed any of this about her before. She sneezed as the dust she had been kicking up began to linger in the air, the sound breaking him from the trip down memory lane he had been about to take. He noted to ask the servants to dust the room before someone coughed to death.

He was actually surprised she had opted to remove the veil that had been over her face. Did she honestly think him so stupid he wouldn't recognize her? Or was she simply naïve enough to think that he wouldn't see her when she wasn't performing. Either way he knew it was she, and for now he was the only one in the palace who knew who she was. With Azula on an escapade in the Earth Kingdom with her friends and the Fire Lord never having actually seen Katara, her identity was safe aside from him. He suspected it was this very fact that gave her this foolish confidence to expose her face.

For a few more minutes he watched as the men began to play and she began to rehearse through the dust, her movements filling the air with particles that became visible when hit by the light. Then, he continued walking towards his chambers to sleep for the night. The last thing he wanted was to have his father receive word his son was pining after his newest conquest. Zuko just thanked Agni that his father was still busy with war preparations that prevented him from seeking out Katara to join him for the night.

But that was only for tonight, and come tomorrow Zuko suspected Katara would have a hard time deferring the Fire Lords advances without consequence.


	6. Chapter 6

Katara was exhausted. After the men who had volunteered to scope out the prisons had separated from their troop, Katara had put the entirety of her worry into perfecting the new routine. When the minutes turned to hours and the hours drew on for what seemed like an eternity Katara found her focus melting away to reveal concern. She had expected them to be gone for a short while, not the entire night, and their prolonged absence seemed to scream something had gone wrong. Worst-case scenarios flashed through her mind and she took to pacing the ballroom they were occupying rather than actually dancing in it.

The other men sensed her unease and tried to calm her, to no avail, filling the room with a lingering tension that held all their unspoken fears.

As the night drew on and the rest of palace retired to bed, they found they could no longer remain in the ballroom and were forced to return to their chambers. None of them slept. The longer the men remained missing the riskier it was for them to be found. They no longer had the excuse of becoming lost looking for the ballroom, meaning if they were spotted the consequences would be undoubtedly severe, something that made Katara's heart become permanently lodged in her throat from panic.

By morning Katara could barely contain her terror. The men had been gone all night without returning, and while some of the men seemed to have no problem sleeping in their absence Katara had been up the entire night awaiting their arrival.

As Katara's exhausted, and as a result slightly hysterical, mind continued reeling with thoughts of the men's capture, torture or worse she was suddenly ripped from her thoughts and to the sound of the chamber door clicking open. She watched, still as a statue, as the door slowly pushed open and the men sprinted into the room, closing the door as quietly as possible behind them. A moment passed in which Katara stared at them almost believing them to be figments, before she exhaled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and anger overtook her.

"Where have you been?" she demanded in an enraged whisper, her quiet voice preventing anyone walking by from learning they had been gone in the first place.

The men glanced at her, then at each other, then back at her. Their faces were plastered with apology coupled with pride, the pride making Katara want to smack them all for their reckless behavior.

"We found them." One of the men stated with a satisfied smirk, his words making Katara's eyes widen and her breath catch in her chest.

"Where?" she asked, stepping towards them with arms outstretched as if to physically shake the answer from them.

"Well, most of them." Another man corrected, shooting the first a look that said not to exaggerate the truth unnecessarily.

Katara stopped, the implications of this taking time to sink in. She felt sick from the combative emotions swirling through her in a whirlwind. She was elated they had at least made progress and found some of her friends, but the fact that one or more could still be missing was a bone chilling thought. What possible reason would there be to keep them in altogether separate locations? Were they hurt, or dead, or being separately tortured?

"A young, bad-tempered, girl and a young man are being held in a prison just outside the palace." The man's voice cut through her worrying, bringing her back to their conversation. "They're keeping the girl in some sort of wooden cell, and the man is in a regular cell in the same area. There's a problem though."

The rest of the day was spent going over prison schematics, palace floor plans, and tidbits of information Sokka had given the men when they'd found him in prison. Despite knowing where Sokka and Toph were, they couldn't move to free them, and this in and of itself was driving Katara mad. Sokka had told them that Aang had been taken to a separate location of the Fire Lord's choosing, a secret location within the palace that no one but members of the royal family were privy to. Even if they managed to free Sokka and Toph, their disappearance would undoubtedly tighten security around Aang making it necessary to free both Aang and the others simultaneously. Therein lay the problem.

Katara ground her teeth together, absolutely seething. They needed to find the location of where Aang was imprisoned, and despite her volunteering an obvious solution, the men had yet to agree to it because of Haru's stubbornness.

"Absolutely not." Haru stated matter-of-factly, crossing his arms across his chest and meeting Katara's defiant gaze towards him with one of his own.

They'd been locked in a stalemate for what seemed like hours, neither one willing to surrender to the other.

"It's our best chance and you know it." she shot back, clenching her hands into tight fists at her sides to remain calm.

"You think he's just going to tell you where he's keeping Aang?" Haru shot back ferociously. "He's ruthless Katara! He'll kill you the second you mention it!"

Silence fell between them and she unclenched her fists, relaxing as her face turned to a calm emotionless mask.

"No he won't." She stated coolly.

"And why is that? What exactly are you planning to do?" Haru returned, his anger diluting to unease as he surveyed her skeptically.

She said nothing in response, just locked eyes with his, shooting him a cold and resigned stare as her answer.

"Absolutely not!" Haru bellowed, sensing the meaning behind her eyes and what it meant would transpire between Katara and a man that could only be described as pure evil.

Katara sighed, fed up with continuously going around in circles with their conversation. Before she had a chance to inform him that he really couldn't stop her even if he wanted to, a knock sounded through their chambers.

Every set of eyes in the room turned to watch as the door opened and a meek looking servant girl stepped in. Her eyes were locked on the floor and even as she spoke she made no move to lift them to the people she was addressing.

"The Fire Lord requests your presence in the throne room." The girl announced, bowing rigidly from her waist and silently waiting for a response.

"This conversation isn't over." Haru ground out, clearly displeased with the girl for having interrupted them.

Katara nodded to the girl, ignoring Haru's comment entirely.

"I'll meet you there," Katara stated to the men as she left the chambers. "I have to see a woman about a dress."

* * *

Zuko sat rigidly in the throne room. His heart was thundering almost painfully in his chest, though he couldn't tell if it was from anticipation to see Katara dance or resentment toward the vulgar generals who would soon be leering at her. Either way his chest felt as though it would split open at any minute, and he hated that she could cause that.

He watched as the men who had yet to leave Katara's side, to his knowledge, sauntered into the room. They began setting up their instruments and getting comfortably seated on the floor with almost bitter looks of discontent on their faces. None spoke, yet they seemed to communicate through meaningful glances, all of which looked panic stricken as they frantically and repeatedly eyed the elaborate entrance to the throne room. He knew they were waiting for Katara, who mysteriously had yet to appear for her performance.

Zuko glanced over at his father, sitting behind a tall wall of fire that encased him in an all too eerie glow, and cringed. Based on the look of disgust he was shooting at the band he was not pleased in the slightest by Katara's absence. Then, to Zuko's horror, all too suddenly his face turned to what could only be described as a sardonic smirk.

The rest of the throne room had also fallen silent and Zuko turned to follow his father's gaze. Across the room stood Katara and all at once Zuko knew why the room was now home to a loaded silence. Her disguise yesterday had been shockingly revealing, yet today her attire was even more captivating despite the skin it covered.

Her slim figure was hugged by a long red dress that was absolutely breathtaking, though whether it was the dress itself or the wearer that was so beautiful Zuko refused to contemplate. The dress was tight through the bodice, hugging the curves of her breasts and waist perfectly, and then flared out in a soft skirt that flowed as she walked. The skirt was strewn with small circles of gold that resembled the feathers of a peacock-dove and glittered in the low glow of the throne's fire. Her usually long, flowing hair was piled into a bun on the top of her head and adorned with what appeared to be a small feather from the same animal. The mocha skin of her neck and face were scribed with intricate designs that worked, much as the veil previously had, to mask her identity from the onlookers.

He watched in awe as she took her stance in the middle of the empty floor and awaited the start of the music. The band, who had clearly been just as astonished by her transformation as he himself had been, clamored to adjust their instruments to the proper form before filling the room with their song. The melody was starkly different from her prior performance, with the stringed instruments setting the tone for a melancholy sound that echoed through the oversized room.

He watched as Katara began to move, delicately grasping the skirt of the red dress in one of her hands and spinning, the fabric stretching out from her in a soft arch as she did so. Every move she made was perfectly graceful, her form revealing a surreal calm that was arguably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, not that he'd ever admit it. As she fell to the ground the dress cascaded out around her, covering the floor where she sat in a large circle. Her arms moved in time to the beat, bending and flowing as if made of water right down to her fingertips. When her hands came to slowly caress the revealed skin of her neck he almost lost it, freezing in place to restrain himself from leaping up and dragging her out of the throne room. Every spin, every graceful arm motion, every flutter of her dress left him captivated by her and he seethed in the reality that was his longing for her. He hated himself for succumbing to her wiles and whatever plot she was undoubtedly hatching. The dance finished as it began, with her grasping her skirt in one of her hands and holding the other above her head like the outstretched neck of a bird.

Unlike her last performance the men in the throne room didn't wildly clap or cheer, however their reaction was just as powerful. They gaped at her as if astounded by her elegance, silently leering at her for the longest time, until a slow clap echoed through the room. It was clear she had captivated every man in the room to the extent they weren't able to properly function, and Zuko felt a twinge of anger at this. He scowled unsure why her receiving any form of attention should bother him in the slightest, especially male attention. Still it did and he sat there seething in anger at how under her control he truly was.

As the clapping died down a couple of servant girls ushered Katara out of the room, leaving Zuko stunned. He glanced at the men who comprised her band and saw them with looks of horror and anger on their faces, especially that irksome man with the mustache that seemed so attached to her. They were clearly not pleased with Katara being escorted away to who knows where by anyone in the Fire Nation.

Zuko, however, did know where she was being taken. The women bustling her away were the Fire Lord's personal staff and were undoubtedly leading her to his chambers. He cringed at the thought, disgusted. He had known it was only a matter of time before his father became impatient with the wait. Still this was little comfort as he watched the girl whom essentially had him under her thumb being taken away to another man's arms.

There was nothing he could do to stop it; his scar was proof of this. He could only pray to Agni that she would emerge from his chambers in the morning alive and to some extent well, unlike the other conquests his father had had. He had seen various women being carried out of his father's chambers by servants in horrible conditions, burn marks visible on their skin, their eyes distant as if they couldn't even see what was before them, some even lifeless bodies who couldn't bear the treatment his father had shown them or who had chosen to rebel.

Katara's fate was entirely out of his hands and in those of the Spirits. Still despite his best efforts he could not get the image of her lifeless body being dragged from the Fire Lord's chambers out of his mind, and though he had never been happy about his fathers behavior, the fact that it was now directed towards Katara absolutely horrified him in a way nothing else ever had.

He had to stop it before the vision of her lifeless body became a reality. But he couldn't act himself, he wouldn't, and he knew just the people to use in his place.

_**AN: Ok so the dance in this chapter is modelled after a traditional style of dance called the Peacock Dance. You can watch it on youtube /watch?v=yoXNG2n3GiY It's actually really beautiful to watch so I suggest you check it out! Anyways please R&R because I love hearing your thoughts.**_


	7. Chapter 7

Katara wandered through the chamber nervously, occasionally fiddling with knick-knacks that littered numerous surfaces. She wasn't naïve, she knew where she was. If the elaborate décor wasn't clue enough, the instructions she had received upon being shoved into the room definitely were. Katara's cheeks were still slightly warm from the very detailed explanation of what was soon to come, and her apparent part in it.

She rolled a small stone between her palms, its slightly jagged edges drawing her back to her present surroundings, before gently setting it down where it belonged. She knew the Fire Lord would summon her to his chambers, she just didn't expect it to be so soon and, frankly, the abruptness of it was making her head reel. She hadn't yet prepared herself for this particular encounter, or at least not to the extent she had hoped to. Far from an innocent little girl, Katara knew how to act and speak to please men, she'd certainly been surrounded by enough of them over the years to pick up a trick or two. Still, when it came to the intimate goings on behind closed doors she had limited experience to draw from. A kiss here, a touch there, she wasn't exactly adverse to such intimacy, between Jet and Aang she had some experience, but that was a far cry from what she was expected to do in a matter of mere moments.

Feeling slightly light headed she perched on the edge of the bed in wait of the heinous man who would soon burst in and claim her as his partner for the night. She knew what she had to do, she just hoped the information she needed would come as compensation for it.

* * *

Zuko inhaled deeply, preparing himself for the certain onslaught of fury that would undoubtedly meet him beyond the large door he stood before. Exhaling, he knocked, setting his face into a calm mask as he waited for the door to open.

The man with the mustache, who constantly seemed overly familiar with Katara, opened the door and almost instantly Zuko felt his calm mask involuntarily waver before he caught it. The man's face circled through a stream of emotion, starting with confusion and ultimately ending in the fury Zuko had expected. Both men said nothing, merely stared at one another for a long moment as if to test the others resolve.

"I know where she is." Zuko finally spoke, never breaking his stare.

The man's eyes widened then narrowed, his stare faltering as he clearly warred between concern for Katara and disdain for Zuko. Concern won and he hurriedly ushered Zuko to enter the chamber, scanning the halls outside with his eyes to ensure no curious servants had noticed their unusual encounter before shutting the door behind him.

Inside the room Zuko could practically taste the hatred the men held towards him as they slowly surrounded him in a wide circle. He said nothing, just maintained his calm mask and silently took a seat on the closest chair.

"Well?" The man with the mustache pried, taking his own seat on a sofa across from Zuko.

Zuko remained silent for a moment more, ensuring the men knew he was still in control of the situation despite their best efforts to intimidate him, before answering.

"My father's chambers." He stated, expecting they knew full well who he was. After all, only a fool would infiltrate enemy lines without actually knowing the face of the enemy.

"Haru, there's no way we can just burst into the Fire Lord's chambers. Its as good as suicide." One of the men standing in the circle chimed in.

Zuko glanced briefly at the man before returning his gaze to the man he now knew to be Haru. Clearly this man was their leader and, despite his youth compared to some of the others, a well respected one at that. Still, based on Haru's fixation on Katara, Zuko suspected she was the one truly in charge. The corners of Zuko's mouth pulled up at the thought, somewhat impressed that Katara was able to control a group of men whom, in all honesty, looked a little more than rough around the edges.

"Well perhaps the Prince here has a few ideas, seeing how amused with the situation he seems to be." Haru ground out furiously, evidently misunderstanding Zuko's grin.

Zuko, snapped back from his thoughts of Katara, returned his stare to Haru, replacing his grin with the calm mask he had unintentionally abandoned. Even a mere thought of her was enough to disrupt his usual control, and this fact alone irritated him to no end, making it more and more difficult to maintain his composure.

"Actually, I do." Zuko calmly retorted, masterfully hiding the storm of irritation raging within him as he spoke. "I don't suppose you're familiar with the layout of royal chambers."

* * *

Katara froze, the door to the Fire Lord's chamber creaking open across the room. She waited, bracing herself for the vile, brazen man who would soon be upon her. Instead she heard the door click shut and was met with nothing but silence. No demands, no disgusting approach, not even a figure to be seen entering the room. She stared at the door in disbelief, half expecting the Fire Lord to suddenly materialize in the space where she had expected him to be standing.

After a few moments of confused waiting, she lifted herself off the oversized bed and cautiously crept towards the door she was now convinced was controlled by malicious Spirits. Standing before the ornate wooden door she peered around her, up and down, behind massive tapestries and under just about every surface able to conceal a man. Still no one was there, a fact that sent an ominous shiver across the back of her neck and forced her body into a reflexive defensive stance.

She watched behind her guardedly from the corner of her eye, never turning to face the direction as she backed up towards the bed, for fear of instigating an attack from behind. Just as she felt her heels touch the frame of the bed a hand clasped her shoulder from behind and she sprang into action.

The man, who had presumably been kneeling on the bed, now lay face up on the hard floor with Katara's knee pressing painfully into his chest and her hand held firmly at his throat ready to deal the finishing blow. Only when her vision cleared from the red she had been seeing moments ago did she notice the man whose lungs were collapsing under her weight was actually Haru. Frantically she leapt up, muttering apologies and sighing in relief at the nonexistent threat.

"Jeez Katara we were only worried about you." Haru wheezed, shakily getting to his feet with help from the bed as support for his now wounded body.

Katara stopped pacing and mumbling, suddenly becoming statuesquely still as it dawned on her where they were and what they were doing.

"Are you crazy?" she demanded in an enraged whisper that she could barely contain from escalating into a shout.

Haru, now leaning on the bed clutching his torso, didn't answer for a moment, as if pondering the question for the first time that night.

"Probably, but that's not the point." He wheezed, finally deciding on his answer. "We have to get you out of here. There's no way I'm letting you go through with this."

Katara gaped at him in utter disbelief. He looked just about as ridiculous as he sounded, clearly in pain from her attack and noticeably struggling to contain it. There was no way he would be able to force her, carry her, or drag her out of the Fire Lord's chambers in the shape he was in and the fact that he believed otherwise was ludicrous.

"You are crazy." Katara stated bluntly, folding her arms over her chest in defiance. "And you're the one who needs to get out of-"

Before she had a chance to finish the door to the chamber once again began to creak open and she heard the voice of the Fire Lord drift inside. She practically threw Haru into the closet and out of sight, not bothering to stop and see if he was okay as he slammed into the wall. The Fire Lord ushered whoever was chattering at him, about what sounded like war plans, away and shut the door behind him.

Katara stood in the center of the room feeling like a child about to be punished for hitting her brother, but instead of her brother she had just slammed Haru into a closet and was essentially holding him captive.

The Fire Lord surveyed her lengthily with his eyes, only intensifying Katara's already extreme discomfort, before crossing the room to touch her. Grabbing her jaw he tilted her face up to meet his, staring into her eyes with the unspoken promise of what was to come. Without saying a word he pushed he onto the bed and proceeded to remove the top layer of his robes, leaving him clothed only in pants, before moving to join her on the bed.

Over the Fire Lord's shoulder Katara saw Haru inch the closet door open and peer out, clearly displeased with her forcefulness. As he did so the closet door creaked, filling the otherwise silent room with a clearly out-of-place noise. The Fire Lord froze upon hearing it, his usual glower contorting even further into a rage that was absolutely frightening to behold. As the terrifying man began to turn towards the sound, and thus Haru, Katara panicked and grabbed the only thing on his body that she could: the waistline of his pants. She pulled drawing him closer to her body and effectively redirecting his attention back to her as she lightly ran her other hand down his chest and torso.

His eyes held all the hunger of a ravenous tiger-dillo as he forgot the sound and trapped her hands above her head on the bed. She exhaled in relief at his distraction from Haru, who she swore she would injure later, a sigh he clearly mistook for longing as he intensified his actions towards her.

"Is it true you were able to imprison the Avatar?" she whispered into his ear, lightly nibbling on it in hopes he wouldn't punish her for her inquisitions. "I imagine only the mightiest of men could hope to face him and live."

He sneered, visibly pleased with her indirect compliment and its credit to his strength and power.

"Yes." He answered curtly, his harsh voice tickling her collarbone.

"You must be the greatest Fire Lord in history to accomplish such a thing. Won't you regale me with your story?" she continued, trailing her hands up his sides and raising her thigh to meet the crotch of his pants.

His chest rumbled as she made contact with his ever-growing erection. As he told his story Katara listened attentively, and though most aspects such as the Avatar's incompetence in battle were false, the method by which they had imprisoned him was all too truthful. She engrained every detail of his egotistical ranting into her mind, and when his tale finally came to an end she reached to his face and drew it closer to hers with a sultry stare.

"Amazing. I wish I had brought a drink to toast your mighty victory." She seductively whispered against the skin of his neck, receiving a low rumble in his chest as response.

He pulled away, opened a nearby drawer, and returned to trapping her beneath him now bottle in hand. She smiled to appease him and watched as he took a swig before handing her bottle.

"To the greatest ruler there ever was and ever will be." She announced, taking a long swig from the bottle.

She motioned for him to take another swig and he did so without question, satisfied with her adulation towards him. Then he put the bottle down and clenched his hand into her hair, causing her to wince from the pain as he forcibly drew her face to his.

His lips were rough and she couldn't help but scrunch her face into a disgusted expression. He was not gentle in the least, ripping pieces of hair out of her head painfully and drawing blood from her lower lip as he continued on with his violent domination.

Then he collapsed.

She practically crumpled in relief, pushing his limp body off of her and unsteadily crawling off the bed.

"It's about time." She mumbled under her breath, desperately trying to straighten her now wrinkled clothes and tangled hair.

Haru emerged from the closet and shot her a look of disbelief laced with confusion, his eyes darting between her and the unmoving body of the Fire Lord now slumped on the bed.

"Oh please, you didn't think I'd come in here without some semblance of a plan did you?" she demanded snippily. "He's fine, just unconscious."

She raised her hand to her mouth and spit out a tiny, empty vile then proceeded to show it to him. His face looked no less baffled with her explanation, and she rolled her eyes at how dense he was, not in the mood to do anything but race back to her own chambers and disinfect every inch of her body.

Quickly she marched over to the unconscious Fire Lord and undid the drawstring to his pants, swiftly pulling them off and flinging them across the room onto the floor. Behind her Haru made almost a gagging noise as he struggled to find the words to ask her what in the Spirits' name she was doing. Ignoring him, Katara relieved the Fire Lord of his undergarments, flinging them to join his pants on the floor, leaving the sadistic ruler lying nude in bed.

"Trust me, this will be explanation enough when he wakes up tomorrow morning." She poured the remainder of the alcohol out the nearest window and set the bottle down on the floor beside the bed. "He'll think we had too much to drink and that's why he doesn't remember doing anything, rather than thinking I escaped before he could."

Haru looked at her with a mixture of amazement and disgust, clearly not happy with the idea that the most hated and evil man in the world would presume Katara to be his lover, even if said presumption was incorrect.

Katara grabbed the nearest robe and swiftly put it on, pulling up the hood to mask her face before opening the door to the room and barreling through. Behind her Haru hesitated, still dumbfounded by what had just happened, before rushing after her and closing the door behind him. Katara was already halfway back to their chambers when Haru began chasing after her, practically sprinting in order to keep up with her. When she reached their door she opened it without hesitation and ran in, careful not to let anyone in the halls see her, then slumped onto the nearest couch and exhaled in relief. Haru bustled in behind her and closed the door, staring at her while opening and closing his mouth as if unsure how to speak.

"Seems you did something as extreme as I'd anticipated." A rough, familiar voice cut through her thoughts causing her to jump to her feet in surprise. "Based on the stupid expression on his face." He gestured towards Haru.

Across the room, leaning haughtily on a wall with an arrogant smirk plastered on his face, stood Zuko.


	8. Chapter 8

Zuko stared at her, a flurry of lust, anger and jealousy blowing through him in a storm. It was only after she'd pulled back the hood to her robe that he'd truly gotten a good look at her, and what he saw was enough to send him over the edge into a deep gorge filled with emotional spikes.

Her hair was tousled and tangled, her face was flushed and her collarbone was now home to a blatantly visible hickey that infuriated him every time he looked at it. She, however, looked concerned by none of these facts. She was simply tapping her foot and glaring daggers at him from a safe distance with her arms crossed angrily across her chest.

He wanted nothing more than to close the space between them and draw her into him. To erase any other man who occupied her thoughts and fill her mind with only him, the way she had done to him. While he was trapped in unwanted lust and jealousy towards her, she held no feelings other than hatred towards him, and he desperately wanted to even the odds that seemed so out of his favor.

"I want him out of here." Katara spat, clearly directing her words towards Haru yet never taking her narrowed eyes off of Zuko.

Zuko smirked and clicked his tongue in response, rolling his eyes at her over the top reaction, though in all honesty it had been exactly what he'd expected from her.

"Scratch that. I want him roped, gagged, and locked up until we're done here. Whose to say he wont run to his father the first chance he gets." She amended, seething from his actions towards her.

"I've known who you were since the moment I saw you," Zuko chuckled, rolling his eyes once more at her naiveté. "If I wanted you caught, you'd be caught."

Katara eyed him skeptically, not entirely sure what to make of his declaration. His smirk changed from one of amusement to one of desire and he quickly closed the gap between them before she had time to react.

"And for the record, you don't need to make excuses to tie me up." His raspy voice whispered so only she could hear, his breath tickling her ear and sending a wave of warmth across her skin.

Across the room Haru cleared his throat angrily, drawing Katara back from whatever spell Zuko had managed to cast on her and renewing her rage. Zuko took a step back from her, noticing her flushed skin, balled fists and clear blue eyes that could now see only him. Even if those entrancing eyes were seeing him through a shroud of anger, she only had eyes for him and this made his grin spread wider on his face in a way it hadn't in a very long time.

* * *

Katara was absolutely fuming. The shivers running up and down her back seemed endless and, though they felt oddly pleasing, she desperately wanted to smack the haughty prince who had caused them. He was now standing before her, grinning so wide she could see his teeth, clearly pleased with himself for riling her feathers to such an extent.

"We still need a plan, Katara. We can't stay here forever." Haru's voice cut in, drawing her gaze away from Zuko, a fact that Zuko clearly did not like as his grin quickly fell to a scowl.

"First, I have a plan." Katara ground out, furious that Haru would even consider bringing it up in front of Zuko. "Second, are you crazy? He shouldn't be hearing this!"

"Katara." Haru stated flatly, as if she were a misbehaving child. "He's kept our secret this long and, though I don't like it, its better if he's around to keep an eye on anyways."

"Have you ever bothered to ask why he's kept our secret?" Katara responded, just as flatly as Haru had addressed her.

Haru paused, then continued without acknowledging her question.

"Without him I wouldn't have gotten into the Fire Lord's chambers to help you." Haru grumbled, as if unimpressed he had to share the glory with anyone.

"Oh! Well in that case I hate him even more!" she screeched, throwing her hands up in exasperated disbelief. "You almost got us both killed back there!"

She spun to face Zuko once more, roughly grabbing the collar of his shirt and drawing him towards her face, now contorted with the force of her wrath.

"Any more bright ideas to share? You know, any deadly situations of your making I should be aware of?" she hissed, pushing him backwards and watching as he stumbled before catching his balance.

"All I did was get him in, anything beyond that was his fault." Zuko replied, straightening the now wrinkled collar of his shirt. "And whether you like it or not, you need me."

"Oh really?" she frowned, refusing to surrender to any such notion.

"You wont be able to get to Aang without me." He stated calmly, locking eyes with hers.

"I already know where he is from your father." She spat back, once again clenching her hands into fists. "And since when do you care about Aang? In case you've forgotten, you helped imprison him."

Zuko merely shrugged and drew his eyes across her body, back up to her face.

"I have my reasons." His raspy voice purred, making the blush resurface across her skin.

* * *

"You might know where he is, but it's going to be difficult to get to him without the key." Zuko calmly explained.

The fact that she had managed to syphon even the Avatar's location from his father had him thunderstruck. He couldn't help but wonder what she had done to get said information, and the scenarios were flying through his mind a million miles a minute making him queasy in the pit of his stomach. She was definitely stronger than he'd thought, or perhaps she purposefully hid her strength to gain the upper hand. Whatever the case he was impressed, and more than a little jealous though he hated to admit it.

Her eyes locked with his and he knew he had her. As much as she might hate to admit it she needed the key, and by extension she needed him. The words etched into his thoughts, the almost musical sound permanently engrained in his mind – _she needed him_ – and he loved it.

"You have this key?" she ground out, obviously not pleased with having to surrender to the truth.

"Yes." Zuko replied, feeling the corners of his mouth pulling into the grin that was becoming a permanent fixture on his face when she was around.

She sighed, reluctantly giving in to him. "Fine, you can help."

He arched his eyebrow and chuckled, deciding not to push for anything more than her rude tolerance for fear of her changing her mind.

"Now that we have the location," she began. "And the key." She shot him a look warning him not to do anything stupid. "We can get this done tonight."

"Actually," Zuko cut in, drawing everyone's attention to him. "That's probably not the best idea."

"Why is that?" she demanded flatly, not impressed by his interruption.

"The Avatar is protected by a large number of guards and, since you want to break the other people out at the same time, you wont have enough people to get past them." Zuko explained, taking a seat on a couch. "The best time to do this would be two nights from now. There's a mandatory security check for all guards, meaning the numbers around his cell will be severely reduced since they have to attend it in shifts."

"Smart." Katara gaped at him "Two nights from now it is. But if this is a double cross I swear I –"

"Relax, it's the truth." Zuko sighed, wondering just how long it would take her to drop her distrust of him.

She nodded, and then continued on as if he'd never spoken.

"We have a lot of planning to do." She announced firmly. "Also, two more nights means two more dances."

"The dance on the night of the escape should be hypnotizing enough to ensure no one notices the break outs. Especially not my father." Zuko specified, stressing the last sentence to ensure they knew the stakes of their plot.

"Leave that to us." An unfamiliar voice cut through the group of men, drawing Zuko's attention towards it.

Through the crowd pushed a muscular man, at least a head taller than Katara. He walked up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at him and he grinned back, as if sharing some inside joke no one else was privy to.

Zuko examined them both, not liking where this was going, and especially not liking the man's sudden familiarity with Katara. He couldn't help but have a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach that whatever they were leaving to this man, Zuko wouldn't like in the least.

* * *

_**AN: okay so I know this chapter is a little short, but the real fun will be in the next few chapters which I can't wait for everyone to read! Also I'm loving everyone's reviews so please keep them up! The more I hear what people think the more I want to write the next chapter! So please R&R :D **_


	9. Chapter 9

Katara twirled through the ballroom, absentmindedly swaying to the music that echoed through the oversized space. Her performance was in mere hours and, although she had spent the day rehearsing, she couldn't bring herself to concentrate. As much as she hated to admit it, a certain Fire Nation Prince elsewhere completely enraptured her mind.

She simply could not understand why he had helped her, why he was still helping her. He'd had every chance to divulge her identity, yet here she was, nonchalantly twirling about the ballroom with no one the wiser.

His motives puzzled her.

The Fire Lord himself had interrupted her practice shortly after Zuko had left their chambers in the morning, and her heart had nearly leapt out her mouth upon seeing his expression. She'd thought for sure Zuko had betrayed them, that her cover was blown and she would be hauled off to Yue-knows-where for being naïve enough to trust him for even a moment. She was wrong. The ever-clueless Fire Lord had simply wanted evidence of their nonexistent night together, though he would never say so directly, and upon seeing the still apparent hickey that graced her collarbone and hearing her feed his ego with compliments to his stamina and performance he'd left her to finish rehearsing.

She couldn't help but think Zuko's protection came with certain unthinkable expectations towards her. She imagined the feel of his lips on hers, his warmth pressing into her skin as it had that first night she'd encountered him in his room. Perhaps such expectations weren't so unthinkable after all.

She stumbled then caught herself before realizing she was still dancing. What on earth was she thinking? He was the enemy, the reason she was in this accursed palace to begin with, and he was _not_ someone she wanted to be involved with.

"Katara?" Haru's voice cut through her brooding, pulling her back to the ballroom and out of her spiraling thoughts. "Are you alright?"

She stopped spinning and, realizing the music was no longer pounding out the comforting beat she'd become hypnotized by, blushed. Glancing over to Haru she saw the concerned look contorting his features and quickly averted her eyes, unsure how to answer his question. Even she didn't know how in such a short time Zuko had managed to infiltrate her mind so completely.

* * *

Zuko sighed heavily for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. Despite having been up all night plotting with Katara and her band of misfits, even sleep eluded him. Katara had shut herself in the ballroom, leaving him no way to see her and igniting a burning jealousy he couldn't seem to shake. He knew she was with that burly man from the night before and wanted nothing more than to have him forcibly removed from the palace altogether.

Even his father was in an odd mood, seemingly even more enraged than normal. His aides had nearly been beside themselves in the war meeting, desperately trying to appease his temper.

Zuko was no fool, he knew his father's foul mood centered around Katara. He still didn't know the full details of their private encounter and images of Katara's tousled hair and hickey-laden collarbone were fresh in his mind. In fact, it had taken every ounce of his self-control to stop himself from attacking his father when he had entered the meeting.

It was becoming harder and harder to separate himself from his desire, and this mystery man that Katara was now frolicking with was only adding to his pent up stress.

A knock sounded through his chamber and he frowned before moving to answer it. As he opened the door he was met by an elegantly dressed woman, hair pinned up in a topknot and long red robes contrasting her ivory skin. She bowed and waited for his acknowledgement of her before returning to her standing position, her arms folded with her hands hidden in her oversized sleeves.

"The Fire Lord requests your presence, Prince." Her voice was soft and high.

Zuko sighed and, rubbing his eyes, frowned as he stepped into the hall and waited for her to close the door behind him. He didn't understand it. He could see how beautiful this woman was, could see her nobility in every move she made, yet he felt nothing. The highest bred, most picturesque women in nation were employed within the palace and he felt nothing towards them. He couldn't grasp how in contrast a poor bred, impolite Water Tribe peasant was able to stir such powerful emotions within him.

He pushed the thought from his head, unwilling to allow it to progress any further.

By the time he reached the throne room, most of the other spectators were already there. The air was thick with familiar anticipation as they waited for the dancer to appear. Despite his longing to see her, Zuko was none too pleased Katara was still entertaining the fantasies of other men with her dancing.

He bowed to his father, subtly avoiding eye contact for fear of his still fresh anger showing through in his gaze, before taking his seat in front of his father's throne of fire.

Katara's men were already seated on the floor with their instruments, seemingly communicating only with their eyes. He wondered how they knew exactly what the others were saying without speaking.

The generals were sipping alcohol that was being offered by handmaids who faded into the background of the room, seemingly invisible unless specifically searching them out.

Zuko sipped from his own cup, gazing more restlessly at the door with each moment that passed without Katara's arrival.

Finally the doors opened and Katara walked in, adorned in yet another new ensemble. She looked around, her gaze hesitating on him for only a moment, before setting her gaze on his father and bowing in respect.

She returned to a standing position and situated herself in the center of the floor as per usual. Zuko surveyed her curiously, confused by her clothing choice. They'd made it clear in their scheming that her goal was to captivate the men entirely, and yet her clothes could only be described as modest compared to her prior getups. He frowned, wondering if she was intentionally doing the opposite of his advice to spite him. He clenched his hands into fists at the thought of such blatant defiance after all he'd risked to help her.

She nodded to Haru and the music began. It was slow and almost eerie, giving off a mysterious quality that was entrancing to hear. As the music commenced so too did her dance. From her standing position she arched her back and fell into a bridge, the position accentuating her curves as her muscles flexed and stretched. Her body flowed almost effortlessly as she flipped from her sensual arch into the splits. It was then she did something that confused him even more. With her delicate hands she pulled a strip of fabric from around her neck and tossed it to Haru, who caught it and held it taut.

It was only then that Zuko truly looked at her attire, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

What he had thought was a solid piece of gold fabric covering her flawless skin was actually a ribbon spiraling around her figure from her neck to her waist and down one of her legs. A ribbon that was now being unraveled, painfully slowly, to reveal her bare skin beneath as she seductively twirled and bent for the room full of men.

With Haru holding the end of the ribbon she spread herself on the floor, her big blue eyes the picture of lust as she contorted herself in ways he thought almost impossible. And with every new contortion she somehow freed herself from more and more of the ribbon. It was the most erotic thing he had ever seen, and she seemed to enjoy playing with men's lust as, just when the ribbon was about to reveal more than he wanted others to see, she managed to wind herself back up to hide herself from view.

After what seemed like a lifetime of watching and waiting in torturous slow motion, she rose to her feet and twirled, seemingly fighting the gold ribbon for freedom before finally liberating herself from its clutches. Where Zuko had thought to find her nude he now saw her continuing to dance in only bindings. They were black in color and hugged her most intimate areas, hiding them from view whilst leaving the rest of her sun-kissed skin to be freely admired by onlookers. He both inwardly groaned in sexual frustration and sighed in relief that no one else would see such a sight. She continued on, twirling and leaping and sensually spreading her legs apart in splits until finally the music tapered off to silence and she was left captivatingly contorted on the floor.

He watched as her chest rose and fell while she straightened herself, the only evidence left of her rigorous movement being that and her glistening skin. Her hair remained pristine in its bun, albeit slightly looser, and he was especially amazed how the Fire lily that was pinned into it remained completely unharmed despite her vigor.

The men in the room whistled and clapped and generally fought for her attention as he'd expected. One even picked up the gold ribbon she'd freed herself from and Zuko chuckled, imagining the man's face when the tailor came after him to regain her creation.

From the throne his father clapped, his face contorted into a look that absolutely repulsed him. Zuko knew if not for the war meetings still to come that prevented it, Katara would be back in his father's chambers in an instant after that performance. He'd never been so grateful for his father's ruthless obsession with war before in his entire life than he was in that moment.

* * *

Katara bowed, trying to steady her breathing as she did so. She didn't feel tired, she didn't feel scared, in that one moment all she could feel were the tingles slowly spreading across her skin and refusing to leave.

Throughout the entire routine she had felt Zuko's eyes following her. Never before had she been so aware of another person, never mind one she supposedly hated. Even now, as she held her bow, she couldn't help but peer at him discretely from the corner of her eye.

He was clapping, his eyes fixed on her causing her to blush and making her grateful her cheeks were already flushed from dancing. His gaze made her feel electric with its intensity.

Realizing she'd been bowing for slightly too long she rose her head and smiled provocatively at the Fire Lord. He paused, his face still set in its ever-permanent sneer, as if warring with himself whether or not to allow her to return to her chambers. After a moment of indecision in which Katara held her breath in fear he may actually summon her again despite his war obligations, he angrily nodded for her to leave. She sighed silently and after leaving the throne room practically ran back to their chambers before he had the chance to change his mind.

With her skin still feeling hot and tingling she slumped onto her bed and slammed her eyes shut, praying to Yue for relief from her ever-growing awareness of Zuko and the newfound, not to mention entirely unwanted, effect he had on her.

* * *

**A/N: ok so i've been busy hence why this chapter was so delayed in being released. Hopefully the next one will be faster. But the next chapter will be a huge and eventful one so stay tuned for that! hint hint: finally some real zutara moments and its also the night of the long awaited break out so... also the dance from this one was based off a contemporary solo entitled 'unravel' and can be seen on youtube /watch?v=NCwP5Ctd4lw **

**anyways please R&R because I love hearing your thoughts!**


	10. Chapter 10

_Katara stirred, feeling an unbelievable pressure across her frame. She grumbled incoherently under her breath, her eyes drifting open to face the cause of her discomfort. _

_Above her, holding her body still with the weight of his own, was Zuko. His golden eyes stared into her blues, filled with a visible lust that made Katara blush. _

_She didn't move or speak. She simply stared up at him, waiting for him to make a move. _

_His golden eyes seemed to hypnotize her and clearly he knew it as well as she did. After long, heated moments of staring into her eyes a proud smirk dawned his features and he licked his lips. She shuddered, unable to prevent herself from doing so. Before she had a chance to even steady her now sporadic breathing, his lips were upon hers forcefully claiming her mouth as his own. Without thinking she raised her hand and entangled it into his hair, drawing him deeper into the kiss. His lips dominated hers almost hungrily and his tongue wound through her mouth spreading an intense heat from her mouth to every inch of her body. _

_Just as Katara felt as though she would die from lack of oxygen, albeit pleasantly, his lips broke away from hers leaving a silence between them filled only by their frenzied panting. _

_He chuckled and she could feel his chest vibrating against her, his smirk widening as he surveyed her lengthily. In his next breath his lips were once again upon her, dusting her neck and collarbone with slow, agonizing kisses as he gradually moved lower. _

_Katara's mind felt hazy and she struggled to gain control of her senses. She had yet to ask what he was doing or to struggle in the slightest, and this fact worried her. She was entirely under his power and, although thrilling, this scared her tremendously. _

_His mouth nipped her breast and she inhaled sharply, her hands involuntarily balling into fists with one gripping the bed covers and the other fervently grasping his hair. He chuckled again, his vibration only intensifying her already powerful pleasure. She felt his hand trailing down her side, his touch first sending shivers across her skin then full blown tremors as he plunged one of his fingers inside her. She gasped, his name leaving her lips in a hushed whisper as if a forbidden word. _

_"Katara, please." His raspy voice quietly pleaded, his breath tickling her exposed breast. _

_She said nothing, merely wrapped her legs around his waist and removed her hand from his hair to allow him to move freely. _

_That was all the permission he needed and in one swift motion he slammed into her, causing her to cry out louder than she ever had before as an unbelievable mixture of pain and pleasure flowed through her under his touch. _

Katara's eyes flew open and she groaned, realizing what had happened. The hard floor was cold under her and she sat up, shakily trying to untangle herself from the confines of her tangled covers. She pulled herself back onto her bed, breathing deeply to calm her racing heart.

She'd never had a dream that powerfully realistic before.

Her room was dark and through the nearby window she could see the stars that still graced the sky. She sighed, rubbing her eyes and getting to her feet.

There was no way she was going to be able to sleep after that.

* * *

Zuko wandered the palace halls, unable to sleep. He wondered how long he'd been doing this, contemplating whether or not to return to his chambers to give sleep another chance. He knew he wouldn't with images of Katara's contorted figure so fresh in his mind; still wandering aimlessly was beginning to bore him.

That's when he saw it. Up ahead the ballroom door was propped open ever so slightly, something odd considering it had been shut when he'd passed it not long ago the first time. Curiously he approached, careful not to alert whoever was within to his presence. Peering in he saw her.

The room was dark, save for the lines of moonlight flooding in from the uncovered windows and littering the floor with milky spotlights. She twirled absentmindedly across the floor, stepping in and out of the streams of light that illuminated her skin in an almost angelic glow. Every now and then she'd stomp her feet or clutch her head as she moved, and Zuko desperately wanted to know what she was thinking of in those moments.

Silently, he stepped into the room careful not to draw her attention to him. He watched as she continued to spin until she disappeared behind an oversized pillar. Frowning, he waited for her to reemerge. Ten seconds. Thirty seconds. The time dragged on with her lost from view until finally he walked forward to see what had happened. He hesitated just before the pillar, unsure of what to say when he found her, before balling his hands into fists and continuing on.

"Better luck next time… Zuko?" Katara's voice dripped with venom against his ear, her small hand brandishing a blade pressed against his throat.

He said nothing, merely raised his hands in mock surrender and waited for her to remove her weapon from his skin.

"You shouldn't be here." She ground out, putting the blade away with a dissatisfied frown.

Zuko could have sworn there was something in her eyes, something beneath her anger, but quickly banished the idea as his own foolish desire.

"What are you doing up?" she demanded, prodding him in the chest angrily with her finger before crossing her arms across her chest.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked her, both answering her question and posing one of his own.

She was silent for a moment, her cheeks slowly blushing crimson as she stared into his eyes as if remembering something he wasn't aware of, before tensing and quickly turning her back to him. He arched his eyebrow, puzzled by her odd reaction to such an innocent question. He opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong but quickly snapped it shut as footsteps began to echo in the hall outside the ballroom. It was his turn to tense as images of his fathers face warped with rage at him being alone with his newest conquest flashed through his mind.

"You don't think." Katara continued, harshly scolding him.

Zuko cringed with each word, ushering her to be quiet and praying she may actually obey him for once. She didn't.

"What if someone were to find us together in the middle of the night?" she demanded. "How would that look?"

He shushed her, pulling her further behind the pillar and slowly beginning to panic as the footsteps drew nearer and nearer.

"Katara, please." He begged, staring desperately into her blue eyes.

He watched as her blush intensified and her eyes widened in shock at his words, yet another reaction he didn't understand but didn't have time to question.

"What are you talking about?" she snapped, her breathing hitching as she did so. "I think you should leave, I mean really we cant jeopardize the plan with so little time –"

As the footsteps closed in, he did the only thing he could think of to shut her up.

* * *

Katara froze, not only had Zuko whispered the exact plead from her dream, his lips were now crushing hers and forcing her into silence. She could barely think, her hands on his chest stuck somewhere between pushing him away and pulling him closer.

His lips were soft yet forceful and his kiss was relentless, barely leaving her time to breathe let alone react. When he finally broke away they were both panting. He had a strange look on his face, one she couldn't quite place, and she suspected her face had the same. They just stood there, staring at each other in silence, waiting for the other to react.

Katara's heart was racing and slowly she felt herself beginning to panic. He, on the other hand, seemed perfectly comfortable in the heavy silence, in fact she would even go so far as to say he looked at home in it.

He made no move to step away from her and no move to resume his sudden barrage of kisses and, after what felt like an eternity being stared at, Katara finally averted her eyes and slipped free of him. Without looking back she rushed from the ballroom and to the protection of her bed. She knew her cheeks were almost as red as her wardrobe and could feel the lingering warmth his touch had left on her skin.

She had no idea what he had been thinking, and frankly even her own behavior puzzled her more than she would like. She knew she could have pushed him away, could have resisted or rejected him, but she hadn't.

She also knew that she had no clue how she was going to face him the next time they met.

* * *

Zuko watched in silence as she retreated from the ballroom in a flurry of flustered emotions and wide-eyed alarm. He sighed when she was out of sight, drawing his hand exhaustedly across his face as if to wipe away the memories of what he had just done. Not that he ever could, her kiss was permanently engrained into his thoughts, of that he was sure.

Even he had to admit his actions were reckless. Not only could he have drawn more attention to them if she had rebelled against his touch, but her lips had nearly made him lose control completely. He had continued the kiss well after the danger of being discovered had passed and would have continued further had his need for air not won out over his desire.

By the time he broke away from her it took every ounce of concentration not to reclaim her warm touch, her heated breath and her soft lips as his own. So he remained still and silent, the image of one of the many statues decorating the palace grounds, to refrain from touching her.

Then she ran and he knew he had no right to stop her.

He sighed again, glancing around the ballroom. In a few short hours the sun would be up and she would be in this very room practicing alongside that oversized lug of a man. He scowled, hating himself for letting her run back to where that man would hide her away under the pretense of rehearsal.

The only solace he found was the knowledge that tomorrow it would all be over. That she would be free from the cruel control of his father and separated from the band of misfit men who leered after her when she wasn't looking.

Soon he could put his real plan into motion. Soon she would be his.

* * *

Katara stood in the throne room as had become her usual practice. She bowed to the Fire Lord and cleared her throat, inhaling deeply before straightening up to speak.

"I've modeled this performance with your Excellency in mind." she purred, shooting him the sultry stare she'd become so accustomed to using to manipulate Fire Nation men.

He arched his eyebrows in response clearly intrigued by her statement, his ever present sneer spreading across his face.

She bowed quickly once more and retreated to her dance partner who was waiting patiently behind her. He smiled reassuringly at her and nodded ever so slightly to comfort her blatantly frazzled nerves.

She smiled meekly in return and with a deep exhale untied the sash to her robe and slipped it off her shoulders.

* * *

Zuko's eyes nearly fell out of his head as Katara's red silk robe glided from her body and fell in a delicate heap at her feet. A collective murmur of the other men in the room filled the space as his face pulled into a scowl.

The plan was being carried out right now of this he was certain. He himself had been the one to point out this performance had to be distracting in order to have this fact remain secret. Still, he had not in a million years expected her to take it this far for the sake of a mere distraction.

Upon close inspection, she was in fact wearing clothes. Although whether or not they could really be considered such was debatable. Her garments were the same color as her skin, giving the illusion of nudity as she stood shamelessly in front of the crowd of more than satisfied men. Her top covered only her breasts, suspended in place by almost invisibly thin straps, while her bottoms covered just that, only her bottom, a mere scrap of fabric acting as skimpy underwear at beast.

She was certainly giving her all to this distraction; he'd give her that.

He wasn't sure whether to be impressed or angry with her, in much the same was he wasn't sure whether to be impressed with the tailor for crafting such clothing or furious for allowing Katara to wear it.

She lay on her back on the floor, her dance partner, the brawny man Zuko had come to hate, positioning himself between her legs and gliding his large hands across the exposed skin of her sides. The room grew quiet, the men's murmurs fading into silence as the music began to drift softly through the air.

Zuko glanced at the band. The usually large number of men had dwindled substantially, with much of the rag tag team off executing the jailbreak, including Haru who he thought would never leave Katara's side willingly.

He glanced around the room, sighing in relief at the fact no one else seemed privy to the missing men with their eyes so fixated on the almost nude Katara.

As the music played her partner drew his hands down her exposed sides and across her bare legs. Katara glided one of her own hands across the man's chest in response, her back arching entrancingly off the floor as his hands reached her upper thighs. Her hand stopped at his neck, wrapping her hand gently around its back and pulling his face down to meet her chest. The man feathered his lips lightly across her chest before pulling his head back up, drawing her up with him into a seated position in which she straddled his hips.

Zuko's scowl deepened, despising this performance more with every passing moment. He'd wanted a distraction not a sex show between her and some nameless bulky meathead.

Their dance was like a game. She pulled his face back towards her, her fingers tracing his jaw line delicately. Just before their lips met she turned her head ever so slightly, the man's lips meeting her neck instead before leaning away from her once more.

She leaned back as well, rolling her head back as if basking in ultimate pleasure before extending one of her legs and resting it on her partners shoulder. Using said leg she drew him into her, his face hovering between her legs. He wrapped his arms around her waist, supporting her weight, and she wrapped both legs around his head, trapping him to her most intimate area. Then, just as quickly as she had bound him in place, she shifted her weight and flipped away from him, setting him free and finally making it to her feet.

The man held strong to her hand however, and just before she could rip it from his grasp he pulled her back to him. She twirled into his arms, her back pressing tightly against his bare chest, as she slowly drew one of her hands down his neck and he floated his hands to her hips to hold her intimately closer.

With a coy smile she stepped forwards and away from the touch of his body, the man's hands lingering on her hips and lifting her off the ground before throwing her into the air where she fell gracefully back into his arms.

Zuko frowned. This was going to be the longest, most tortuous night of his life, and the performance had barely begun.

* * *

"Hurry up." Haru whispered harshly to the men working at freeing Aang from his chains.

"It's not like they're made of string." One of the men shot back, furiously working at picking the lock to the shackles binding the Avatar's wrists.

Haru sighed, frustrated. The guards had been the least of their problems, going down without much of a fight and with almost no noise whatsoever. The chains, on the other hand, had proven much more difficult. They were thicker than his arms and impossible to cut through. Without the key it was only a matter of time before they were found trying to unlock them. He just prayed Katara was buying them enough time.

"Just calm down." Aang reassured him, watching the men working to pick his locks. "This is going to work. I'm sure of it."

* * *

Zuko watched as the man flipped Katara down, her head easing between his legs provocatively before flipping her back up, holding her frame at shoulder height with his head between her legs once more. They stayed like this for a few moments, Katara moving her arms like flowing water as the man walked slowly forward.

The music continued its soft hum, its melody almost as alluring as the dance itself.

The man stopped walking and Katara drifted down from his lift, her head fitting between his legs and her arms wrapping around his waist. Holding one of her feet the man leaned back into a deep arch, pulling Katara's leg with him into the splits.

Even Zuko had to admit this dance was mesmerizing. He'd never seen such powerful strength coupled with such intimate movements. Katara's flexibility was amazing, and that coupled with her erotic lack of clothing made her absolutely captivating to watch. All Zuko wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and press his lips to hers once more.

The two fell back to the floor effortlessly. With every move they made the man supported the entirety of Katara's weight, as if he were a frame merely showcasing the beauty of a priceless painting. He lifted her once more, seating her on his shoulder as they spun before flipping her down and setting her gently on her feet. With each escape she made from his grasp, the man pulled her back in and, when he didn't, she eventually came back to him of her own will. It was as if her body fit perfectly with his, two people who seamlessly came together to form one being.

He leaned forward and placed a kiss lightly on her neck. She closed her eyes and reveled in his touch in response. Zuko could practically feel their lust towards one another hanging in the air and although their performance was spellbinding, he hated the man more with every lingering touch he feathered Katara with.

She stepped away from him, and for once the man didn't stop her. She walked a few more steps and then, as if realizing he wasn't following, Katara stopped and turned around to face him with lust filled eyes. In one fluid motion she flipped forwards, not using her hands but simply propelling her feet seemingly effortlessly off the floor and over her head, forcing the man to be the one to step back for fear of being kicked.

He stepped towards her, grabbing her hands and pulling her in, their faces so close to touching in a kiss they could have held a piece of parchment between their noses. Then, before Zuko could even process what they were doing, Katara took a step back and leapt towards her partner, swinging through the air like a pendulum as the man held her by her arms before lifting her straight into the hair and holding her in a midair handstand. After suspending her there far longer than any man should have been able to, he glided her back to the ground and wrapped his arms around her in a sensual lovers embrace. Her mocha skin seemed to flow into his pale form as his large frame overwhelmed her petite body. Their bodies melded together, bending and contorting in the most intimate of ways as he effortlessly lifted, spun and flipped her around the room.

At one point he laid her on the ground, sprawling his own body over hers as he nuzzled his face into her neck. She drew her lusty gaze over the men in the audience as he did, as if silently imaging each of them in the place of her partner. Then, without warning, she rolled towards the audience, partner in tow, in an erotic entanglement of limbs. When they finally stilled she was the one on top and took the opportunity to pull away, giving her partner just enough time to place a kiss on her foot before daringly freeing herself from his embrace.

Zuko shuddered as her gaze lingered on him for the subtlest of moments before returning to her partner with a smirk.

* * *

"This way." Toph called over her shoulder in a whisper.

It hadn't taken long for the men to free her and Sokka from their prisons, and now that her feet were back on solid earth it was taking even less time for her to find their way out.

"How does she know?" one of their rescuers whispered skeptically, causing Toph to frown.

Before she had a chance to say anything snide in response, however, Sokka cut in on her behalf.

"Trust me, she knows." Was all he said, following quietly behind her, his words returning her focus to the escape at hand.

* * *

Zuko glowered as Katara was touched, watched and kissed in ways that should have been reserved solely for the bedroom. Although her partner was doing his best to show an indifferent expression to her advances in their performance, he could tell the man was more than a little pleased by her propositions, however theatrical they may have been.

He pressed her to his body, his breath coming in silent, heated pants now. Despite framing her, he was in control of her. He was more than her support, he was her possessor. His fingers trailed down her exposed body as he lifted her above his head, throwing her spiraling through the air above him and leaving her to trust that he would catch her. She was the dancer but he was the man in control of her movements, and said movements were getting increasingly more intense and erotic.

Looking around the room, Zuko saw not one man averting his eyes. No one could look away. Their plan was working flawlessly, however displeasing that may have been in his eyes, and he wondered if the others had succeeded in freeing the prisoners as brilliantly as Katara had succeeded in distracting the only men able to stop them.

* * *

"Here they come!" Toph called, pointing in the direction she meant.

Everyone waited, some taking on battle stances while others, including Sokka, merely watched where Toph had gestured, trusting in her statement.

Over the ridge figures began to appear, running towards them until it became blatantly obvious that Aang and the men who had freed him had arrived safely and un-followed at the designated meet spot.

"Took you long enough." Toph grumbled, punching Aang roughly in the shoulder.

"Nice to see you too, Toph." Aang smiled back, rubbing where she had hit.

"We're only missing Katara now." Sokka stated, cutting through the murmured congratulations of the surrounding men and drawing an uncomfortable silence. "What?" Sokka asked, confused by the reaction.

"Yeah," Toph cut in. "Where is Sugar Queen anyways?"

Haru glanced uncomfortably at them, before sighing and stepping forward to answer.

"She's in the throne room… with the Fire Lord. She's the distraction." Haru watched as they took in what he was saying with unbelieving expressions.

"WHAT?" Aang finally shouted furiously, cutting through the uncomfortable silence that had settled.

* * *

Katara balanced on the head of her partner, rewarded with gasps and claps from her audience. Zuko didn't move, he merely sat rigidly white-knuckled preparing to leap up and catch her if she faltered in any way. She didn't. He'd never noticed before how impressive her abilities were, in fact he'd wager they were on par with Ty Lee's, the only difference being Katara saw no need in flaunting them when she had her bending.

Finally she flipped off of him and he caught her, pulling her into his arms and cradling her against his body in an embrace. Gracefully she laid her head on his shoulder and they spun until the music stopped and their movement tapered off into the conclusion of their dance.

There was a silence before the men erupted into clapping, whistling and cat calling louder than Zuko thought possible. If sound could have brought down the room it would have surely been destroyed.

The two separated and, holding hands, took a bow to the elated audience.

Then, as if out of nowhere, the throne room doors flew open and a masked guard ran in.

"How dare you enter without permission!" the Fire Lord bellowed furiously.

"I beg your pardon." The guard bowed, terrified. "But the Avatar is gone."

Zuko froze and glanced over at Katara, who was also frozen in place mid bow.

"WHAT?" the Fire Lord demanded, absolute fury marring his features. "FIND HIM! AND BRING ME WHOEVER WAS IN CHARGE OF HIS SECURITY!"

The generals all scrambled to their feet to scour the palace for the missing Air Bender, and in the blink of an eye the throne room was empty of everyone but Katara, her band of misfit men, and Zuko.

"Time to go." Zuko nodded to her, gesturing for her to run.

She nodded and turned to do just that, hesitating for only a moment.

"What about you?" she asked, as if unsure whether she really wanted to care or not.

Her accomplices had already fled the room and were racing to get as far from the palace as physically possible before something got in their way.

"I'm right behind you." He stated.

Hurriedly he grabbed her and pulled her into his embrace, crushing his lips against hers and drawing a moan from her, before pulling away just as quickly.

"I promise." He pushed her towards the door as reassurance for her to leave, and watched as she ran towards her freedom.

* * *

**A/N: Okay so I know this chapter is a little long but yay they're free! And the Zutara moments have officially begun! They will only get increasingly intense from here so look forward to that! Also the dance this time is modelled after one of the most intense dances I've seen... ever. I don't know if you've seen it or not but definitely check it out because you wont get the full picture of what Katara is doing without at least watching some of this, IT IS LITERALLY THAT AMAZING. Enough said. /watch?v=1nswzL8E0YU it's entitled "Best Couple Dance - Romantic". If you cant find it then PM me and I'll send u the link. So yeah, R&R please! Can't wait to hear thoughts on this one! **


	11. Chapter 11

It had been weeks since their escape from the Fire Nation Palace and Katara had finally dismissed Zuko's promise to follow her as nothing more than yet another lie he'd selfishly fed her. She cursed herself for feeling even the smallest amount of trust towards him after everything he'd said and done in the past.

Sokka had ultimately convinced her to leave the Fire Nation all together and, despite being safe, the slow pace of the Air Temple just didn't feel right after such a grand adventure.

She sighed, trailing her fingers along the liquid surface of the fountain she was laying atop. She felt restless and angry and, as much as she hated to admit it, she'd begun taking it out on her friends.

"You okay Katara?" Aang called, throwing her a concerned smile.

"I'm fine." She smiled back, clearly unconvincingly as Aang's smile pulled into a skeptical pout.

"I know what'll cheer you up!" he suddenly bellowed, hopping excitedly to his feet. "A tour of the Temple!"

Katara sighed silently, watching the ripples dance across the surface of the fountain as she moved her fingers.

"I think that'll have to wait." Toph cut in, receiving a questioning look from everyone lounging in the area.

Toph pointed her finger towards the temple entrance and, together with the others, Katara's gaze followed only to land on an uncomfortable looking Zuko.

In a split second everyone was up and on the offensive, crouching into attack stances and pelting him with glares that, if they could kill, would surely have reduced him to a motionless corpse instantly.

"You must be surprised to see me here." He stated, as if that were all the explanation required of him.

"Not really. I mean you have followed us all over the world!" Sokka ground out, clutching his boomerang as if warring with whether or not to throw it at him.

Katara watched as Zuko cringed almost imperceptibly at Sokka's jab before continuing on in his usual steady voice. If she didn't _know_ he was offended, she'd have never known.

"Right. Well anyway, what I wanted to tell you is that I've changed." He asserted in his raspy voice Katara hated to admit she'd been missing.

Katara could hear him continuing to speak in the back of her mind but couldn't bring herself to truly listen. She was too focused on his sudden proclamation of rehabilitation to care about the rest. Here she'd been, waiting for him for weeks in hopes he'd fulfill his promise to follow her, and now that he had all he could give as explanation for his lie was that he'd changed. Suffice it to say she was seeing red. She'd trusted him, conspired with him, even kissed him, and he'd still turned around and lied to her like she was nothing to him. She was furious he even dared show his face here after leaving her waiting, without an explanation, for so long.

"You can't possibly think that any of us would trust you, can you? I mean how stupid do you think we are?" Katara spat, furious.

He looked at her, understanding that her meaning was not the same as the other's standing at her sides flashing across his face, before guiltily averting his eyes.

"You're always trying to hunt us down to capture Aang!" Sokka added, clearly on board with her lack of trust declaration.

"I've done some good things!" Zuko insisted, locking eyes with Katara and taking a step towards her with arms outstretched before turning to finally address Sokka. "I mean, I could have revealed your sisters identity to my father but I helped her to free you all and escape!"

Immediately every set of eyes were on Katara, clearly confused by Zuko's announcement. She didn't even blink, merely narrowed her eyes further at him and icily opened her mouth to explain.

"When I first broke into the palace Zuko caught me snooping around, I managed to escape but when I returned it didn't take him long to figure it was me. I admit he did help us with the escape plan, but when it came time to actually leave he abandoned us." She said the last part like it left a horrible taste in her mouth, every word laced with a venom she wished could breach the gap between them and inflict every ounce of pain she'd felt onto him.

She hated that she'd spent even a moment of her time worrying about him when clearly she hadn't been nearly as important to him.

* * *

Zuko watched as Katara stormed away, the water in the nearby fountain splashing and rippling with every bolstered stomp of her feet.

Aang and the others had finally agreed to let him join the team, much to the objections of Katara, after a long and drawn out debate involving abstinent refusal by Katara and severe skepticism from everyone else. He knew the deciding point had been the palace blueprints and war schematics he'd stolen from his father and thanked Agni he'd thought enough to take them in the first place.

Sokka rushed off shortly after Katara, blueprints and schematics in hand, to determine an attack strategy based on the inside information that had just fallen into his lap. Frankly Zuko was amazed, he hadn't thought it possible for anyone to love tattered old scrolls to such an extent.

He waited for a while, pretending to listen as Aang chattered incessantly to him about Firebending, the Temple, and anything else that seemed to pop into his mind on a whim. Finally, he excused himself from the nattering monk and headed in the direction Katara had rushed off in.

He honestly hadn't expected her to revert back to her original hatred of him and, based on her actions, he feared it had grown far worse than it had ever been. It was puzzling, he couldn't remember doing anything to her that could warrant such a dramatic change from their moderately friendly behavior only a short time ago.

He rounded yet another corner, wondering if he would ever find her in such a large, maze like building he was unfamiliar with. The almost crumbling stone walls seemed to be leading him away from whom he wanted to find rather than towards her, and with every corner he took he feared he'd taken a wrong turn.

Finally, after a good half hour wandering aimlessly through the twisting tunnels of the Temple he stumbled across her. As soon as he found her he froze and ducked back behind the corner he'd rounded.

Across the open space between his hiding place and what looked like a natural hot spring was Katara, becoming increasingly naked with each passing moment.

Weighing the risk and reward for the briefest of moments he peered cautiously around the corner, catching one last glimpse of her fleeting form as it sank into the steamy water of the spring. He sighed, inwardly cursing himself for being so indecisive and missing the opportunity that fate had given him.

"Katara?" he called out, alerting her to his presence as he slowly stepped out into full view.

He watched as her body tensed and, although her back was to him, he knew her face was pulled into a frown.

"We need to talk, Katara." He pressed, refusing to give in to her powerful silence. "You can't ignore me forever."

"I can try." She said icily back to him.

He smirked and rolled his eyes, amused by her stubbornness he'd become so familiar with. Simply grateful she wasn't ignoring him he cautiously began to walk towards her, hoping all the while that the next breakthrough would be her actually facing him without being forced.

"What did I do?" He asked, all too curious to hear her answer.

Without warning she spun to face him, the water from the hot spring splashing up and misting him like fine rain. He cringed, uncomfortably damp from the spray and uncomfortably conscious of her rage contorted face.

"It's not what you did, it's what you didn't do!" She ground out, balling her hands into fists as she berated him.

He scowled, entirely confused by her response yet somehow unwilling to contest it with a large source of water so readily available to her. He simply remained silent and waited for her to calm down.

"I have nothing to say to you Zuko, and just because I have to tolerate you being here doesn't mean I have to like it." Her words stung and he wanted nothing more than to seal her mouth with another of their heated kisses.

Knowing it would take a little more than that to calm her at this point he sauntered away in hopes she would soon come to her senses.

* * *

**A/N: Okay so here's another chapter finished and I know what you're thinking - so little zutara and very short - but not to worry because this is simply the connecting chapter to the next one where all the smutty things begin to unfold. Not to give too much away but there's going to be a little more than kissing going on in that one if you know what I mean. Anyways this chapter has rejoined the original ATLA plot at the point where Zuko joins the team and I know it happened a little differently than in the series but the basic premise is still there - Zuko joining and Katara mad. So R&R and I'll try to have the next chapter up soon! **


	12. Chapter 12

_**Six Years After The War**_

Zuko sat, slumped in his oversized chair, listening to generals ramble on about plans to withdraw soldiers and maintain outposts in other nations.

Meanwhile all Zuko could think about was why they even had a 'War Room' in the first place when the war was long since over. Each time they met, in the very room his father had used to plot world domination, he swore he would rename it and then promptly forgot moments after leaving. He wondered just how much of an uprising there would be from the generals when he actually got around to it, seeing as more than a few of them were still not satisfied with the war's end.

Suddenly a horn sounded in the distance and Zuko was snapped back from his discontent about the room and leapt to his feet. Noticing too late that he was still in the middle of a meeting and leaping of any kind was frowned upon for the Fire Lord, he cleared his throat, dismissed the meeting and raced as fast as decorum would allow to the steps of the palace.

Waltzing lazily up the steps were Sokka and Suki, Sokka goofily whipping his head around every so often as if trying to see everything at once. Zuko rolled his eyes and noticed Suki do the same, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Beyond the peculiar couple was Aang, immersed in an apparently very in depth conversation with the guard who was leading them to the palace from the docks. Zuko could tell Aang had matured significantly in looks since the end of the war, but based on his childish grin and worriless bounce he was still a kid at heart.

Moving past the grown Airbender he continued scanning the crowd, once, twice, but no matter how many times he searched he still couldn't see Katara in the mass of approaching people.

"Hey!" a loud voice bellowed from behind him, a hard fist making painful contact with his shoulder.

Zuko jumped, then straightened himself hoping no one had seen him make such a blunder in decorum, or at least no one with the authority to reprimand him for it.

Turning he saw Toph standing in the doors of the palace, a devious smirk plastered on her face. It was his turn to smirk as he saw her standing there in a dress, her rough personality shining through despite her doll like appearance. It was all he could do to clench his jaw shut to prevent himself from snickering.

"Oh shut it, Sparky." Toph huffed, clearly unhappy with her wardrobe and not afraid to point it out. "My parents had their convoy escort me here so needless to say it wasn't my choice. Soon as I make it through these doors I'm burning it and getting some real clothes."

Zuko had to chuckle at this, imagining her setting the expensive silk ablaze and contentedly watching it burn. Even after so many years she hadn't changed, although her bending had certainly improved seeing as she'd managed to bypass the stairs altogether yet alerted not even him to her presence until she'd struck him.

"I'm sure there are many Firebenders who'd be happy to help you with that in the palace." Zuko smiled, seeing her nose crinkle in protest.

"No way! I'm going straight to the top. Now where's your uncle?" She grinned and with that she was off, storming through the palace in search of Iroh, who he was sure would put up quite a fight to burning such an elegant gown.

Turning back around he was met by Sokka, Suki and Aang, all of whom had finally ascended the steps. Sokka was looking miffed and Zuko sighed preparing for whatever protest Sokka was preparing to give him.

"What's with the stairs?" Sokka demanded, flailing his arms behind him as if doing so would convince Zuko to get rid of them altogether.

"Come on Sokka, they're not that bad." Aang cut in, an amused smile spread across his face.

"Easy for you to say! One flick of the wrist and you float right past them!" Sokka contested, clearly not prepared to let it go.

"So what were you talking to the guard about?" Zuko diverted the conversation, all too curious about what Aang could possibly have so much to discuss with his escort.

Aang paused, as if confused how the conversation had taken such a drastic turn, before answering in his usual cheerful manner.

"Appa. Ever since our kidnapping he hasn't liked the Fire Nation much. Remember how we found him hiding in that Fire Nation cave?" Aang shook his head, an almost angry expression flashing across his face then disappearing just as quickly. "I was just making sure they knew what they were getting into since they set him up with a place to stay."

Zuko nodded, recalling Aang's stories of how the animal had barred its teeth when they'd first approached it and refused to leave the shelter of the cave.

"We should probably get inside, Katara should be arriving soon and I want to unpack before she starts mothering me." Sokka insisted, quickly bustling forwards and into the palace.

Zuko arched a questioning eyebrow at Aang and he shrugged in response.

"She's coming with her father and some other Water Tribesmen." Aang clarified, following Sokka as he wound his way through the halls.

Zuko trailed close behind, occasionally offering directions to Sokka whenever he seemed frustrated at not knowing his bearings.

* * *

Katara inhaled deeply, reveling in the salty mist of the sea. In the distance she could see the Fire Nation coming into view, a beautiful red tinged contrast to the endless blue she felt so at home in.

It felt odd to be returning after such a long time. She felt nervous, many of the men here knew her as a dancer not as a Master and she hoped they wouldn't alert her father to her old persona.

Not many of her escapades in the Fire Nation had been joyful. Even her last visit here had been a solemn one, what with Zuko being pumped full of lightning and Azula falling to insanity after demolishing a good portion of the palace grounds.

She hoped this trip would be a normal, uneventful one, but seriously doubted it given her track record. She sighed, deciding she'd settle on a tolerable visit if it meant making it through her time here peacefully.

* * *

Zuko groaned, seriously contemplating running in the other direction. His uncle walked at his side, his presence the only thing preventing him from doing so.

Just down the corridor they were slowly walking was the ballroom, and Zuko could already hear the loud melody drifting out from the party he was supposed to be hosting.

He couldn't quite remember whose idea it had been to foster solidarity through something as ridiculous as a party but after acceptance letters from other nations began pouring in it was too late to stop it.

He sighed, adjusting his formal robes in malcontent and wishing he could retire to his chambers and remove them altogether.

The doors to the ballroom opened in a wave of noise and a cacophony of smells and sights causing Zuko to cringe. He took a step backwards only to be prodded in the back by his uncle's finger and forced to enter.

As quickly as was respectfully acceptable he made the rounds through the crowd, greeting every nation's leader, and even some high-ranking politicians, before collapsing into the oversized chair that had been set-aside for him. He couldn't even begin to fathom how much he hated politics in that instant. All he could think about as he sat was how much of a headache it had been to organize something as simple as seating. Since he was given a seat ornately decorated with the Fire Nation insignia his aides had insisted the other nations' leaders be given the same, asserting that simply removing his chair was out of the question. Now there was an entire wall housing five oversized, flamboyantly emblazoned chairs, all of which were vacant except for his. One for the Earth King, one for the chief of the Southern Water Tribe, another for the chief of the Northern Water Tribe, one for the Air Nomads, and his own. All were elevated above the height of a normal chair to allow people full view of the dance floor without obstruction by those standing, a fact that Zuko hated as it meant climbing stairs to simply take a seat. The whole thing was absolutely ludicrous to him.

Interrupting his brooding, the entire atmosphere of the ballroom suddenly seemed to change and Zuko looked out over the crowd to find Katara smiling broadly while dancing between several partners. A small crowd had begun gathering around the dance floor, watching as she spun from one partner to the next in a whirlwind of ecstatic movement and blue fabric.

Zuko was stunned; amazed that he'd managed to overlook her in his obligatory rounds, especially given the way she looked.

In the span of the six years they'd been apart she'd matured tremendously. Her body was leaner, all of her baby fat gone and replaced with the sensual curves of a woman. Even her face looked more matured, with slightly more defined cheekbones and a smile that was lighting up the entire room. Her dark locks were pulled into a low bun that was woven with what looked like blue beads, giving the illusion she wore a crown of sapphire. Her dress was pale blue, plunging low on her back to reveal her soft mocha skin. Its strapless neckline was adorned with tiny jewels giving the appearance she'd been misted with glistening morning dew and its soft fabric flowed like water from her waist almost down to the floor.

He watched as she spun from partner to partner in what he knew to be a samba. Though he knew nothing about dance, he remembered seeing the style in the ballrooms of Ba Sing Se during his travels.

Her excitement was almost contagious as she spun, shook and hopped from one person to the next, leaving each man with his own smile, though Zuko knew theirs had less to do with the dance and more to do with the close proximity to Katara. He frowned then quickly caught himself and restored his usual cool mask before his attitude offended any of his guests. It amazed him how even after such a long time apart she was still able to play his emotions like a tsungi horn.

The music died down and the spectators clapped, leaving Katara to politely curtsy and skip off the dance floor out of breath.

As the band set their instruments down for a short break, servants ushered the guests, including Zuko, to the large table beside the dance floor to eat. Zuko strode dominatingly towards the table in hopes of getting a seat beside Katara but was forced to settle for the next seat over as his uncle had already snatched his place and was busy making small talk with her.

Begrudgingly taking his seat, Zuko stole occasional glances at her as servants filled guests' glasses with wine, pausing only to toast the occasion when decorum dictated he couldn't wait any longer.

He felt antsy, wanting nothing more than for this pointless function to end so he could finally speak with her freely and without the nosy ears of others nearby. Across from him, an Earth Kingdom noblewoman was trying to engage him in conversation despite his obvious disinterest. He nodded and gave simple answers to try to appease her while subtly maintaining his focus on Katara. Or at least he thought he was being subtle until said noblewoman spoke something that brought the entirety of his attention to her.

"Lovely dance." She smiled to Katara. "Though I hear that's nothing compared to the dances you used to give Fire Nation men."

Zuko watched as Katara stiffened, her face hardening into an unreadable mask at the woman's words.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know what you mean." Katara responded politely with a smile that didn't reach her ever so slightly narrowed eyes.

"I've heard quite the stories about your…" the woman paused as if searching for the right word, completely ignoring Katara's claim. "Performances. I know I could never do something so indecent, regardless of the situation."

Zuko could literally feel the discomfort, mixed with curiosity, in the air as the entirety of the table was now intently listening to their humorless banter. He glanced at Katara, wondering if he should cut in and help her. Before he got the chance, however, Katara's face changed to a wickedly innocent smile and she responded.

"Yes I'm sure you wouldn't want to sully such delicate hands with something so unimportant as helping people."

Zuko cringed, not wanting to look at the noblewoman who he was sure was furious from Katara's jab.

"Call me old fashioned but I was under the impression that wars were won with weapons on a battlefield, not nude women on a man." The woman spat, all subtlety disappearing as her temper flared.

"Well I'm sure it's difficult to keep up on current battle strategy from the salon." Katara smiled, nonchalantly taking a bite of her meal.

Uncomfortable, Zuko reached for his wine glass only to find the liquid frozen solid when he tried to take a sip. He nervously peered around the table, noting that, based on the odd expressions on the guests' faces, every glass was similarly frozen.

He cringed, knowing all too well that Katara's calm demeanor was merely a mask hiding her cold rage below the surface. He knew from experience that when she got so furious she couldn't control her bending it was time to run in the opposite direction, especially given that he was usually on the receiving end of said anger when they were young.

Desperate to bring her back to her usual calm before something terrible happened, he moved to get to his feet to put an end to their foolish quarrel. Instead, his uncle's hand grasped tightly on his shoulder and subtly forced him back down into his seat.

"Perhaps Master Katara would be so kind as to give us a demonstration?" Iroh asked, breaking the tension filled silence that hung in the air.

Katara shot him an incredulous glance before her face molded into a devious smirk and she nodded.

"Uncle!" Zuko whispered harshly under his breath so only Iroh could hear.

"Sometimes you have to let women sort things out for themselves." Iroh whispered back, heating his previously frozen drink in his hands with a satisfied smirk.

Zuko watched as Katara whispered something briefly to the leader of the band and made her way to the center of the dance floor.

The music began, playing an old battle song from the time of the war, the loud drumbeat echoing through the otherwise silent space. He watched as Katara began to move in a manner he'd never seen before, each move filled with a fierce aggression yet an effortless delicacy that seemed impossible to coexist. It was not sexual in the slightest, simply powerful. He looked around noting every spectators entranced face as they watched and the noblewoman's furious and embarrassed expression. Zuko had to chuckle under his breath, realizing that Katara was using her dance as a proverbial slap in the face for her completely ill prepared aggressor.

He watched as her dance went through a slew of emotions, telling the tale of the war with her every move. Sharp, precise movements for the battle and weightless delicate movements for the people's reactions. Even her facial expression changed, cycling through angry, pained, sorrowful, as if she were right back in the middle of the war as she danced, fighting and watching others die. At one point she fell to the floor as if breaking under the weight of it all, her eyes moments away from spilling tears, then forced herself back to her feet with an angry expression and continued on with her battle-like movements. As the song ended she fell into a rigid march, her head hanging forward as the music ceased, despite having won she'd lost too much to truly see a victory.

Everyone at the table clapped wildly, some with saddened expressions on their faces as if reliving exactly what she'd depicted in their minds.

She bowed and gracefully returned to her seat, continuing on with her meal as if nothing had happened and leaving the noblewoman with little means of contesting her loss of face.

* * *

Katara stormed through the palace halls. She couldn't believe that someone would ever have the gall to reprimand her for her methods in freeing her friends all those years ago, especially a noblewoman with no clue of the horrors the war had caused beyond her sheltered life.

She looked around, realizing she'd been so caught up in her fuming she had no clue where she was. Even with her experiences in the palace it was still a huge place and many of the halls looked the same.

She stopped, looking around for anyone who could direct her to her chambers. No one was there. In fact wherever she'd wound up it was downright eerie how silent and abandoned it was.

Sighing, she continued walking, desperately searching for any landmark that would alert her to where she was or how to leave. She felt like an absolute fool, wandering around like a lost child in a dress that seemed straight out of a fairytale. The dress she'd originally brought was a simple blue kimono style, but the second she'd set foot in the palace that accursed tailor had been there, waiting like a vulture, and promptly trapped her. The result was an over the top blue ball gown fit for royalty, and frankly she felt extremely strange wearing it.

"Katara?" a familiar raspy voice called, pulling her back to reality and making her realize she'd once again stopped paying attention to her surroundings. "What're you doing?"

She turned to see Zuko standing in an open doorway, looking half asleep and seriously confused. She couldn't help but avert her eyes, blushing slightly at the sight of him. Compared to all those years ago he looked exceedingly adult. His jaw was much more defined and his hair was longer, its dark sheen contrasting his beautiful ivory skin. Even his body had filled out, his muscles slightly more distinct from years of training and bending.

"I got lost." She sighed, wincing at her own stupidity.

He smirked and arched his brow, clearly more alert after hearing her admittance.

"I'd say." He chuckled, the noise causing Katara to shiver in secret delight. "There's nothing this way but my chambers."

He trailed his eyes slowly over her body and locked his eyes to hers, desire burning clear as day within his golden orbs.

"It's been hours since the ball, what've you been doing?" he asked.

Katara frowned, not sure how to respond without sounding even more foolish.

"I suppose I got lost in my thoughts." She admitted in a hushed whisper, half hoping he wouldn't hear her.

His chuckle grew louder, resonating though her and making her feel even more like a child.

"I'll have you know I had every intention of returning to my chambers." She insisted defensively. "I was just in the mood for a stroll and…"

Before Katara could finish her sentence he was upon her, crushing his lips forcefully against hers and leading her into his chamber.

Her heart thudded wildly in her chest, her mind a hazy blur of pleasure and lack of oxygen. His lips were just as satisfying as she remembered from her youth, rough and frantic against hers in a heated barrage of kisses. She heard the door click shut faintly in the back of her mind as she stumbled backwards in his warm embrace. His strong arms wrapped around her were the only things keeping her upright as her knees slowly turned to jelly. Her legs brushed against the side of his bed, knocking her backwards onto it and forcing her lips to separate from his as she gasped in surprise. He gave a throaty chuckle in response and crawled atop her with a lusty stare that made her shudder in anticipation.

His breath tickled her neck as he feathered kisses across her collar and chest, in what she was sure would be a slew of marks come the morning. Her eyes practically rolled into the back of her head at his touch and with a smirk she entangled her fingers in his hair and pulled his face away from her skin.

He grunted, the noise raw and guttural and filled with the entirety of his lust. Katara shuddered at the sound but didn't relinquish her grip on his hair, merely smiled a coy smile and watched him pulse with desire. She repositioned herself beneath him, rubbing against him in the most torturous of places, and rolled them over so she was atop his perfectly sculpted body. His golden eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment, giving her a fleeting view of ethereal tint they held in their depths.

Her coy smile widened into a satisfied smirk at his reaction and she straddled his hips with her own, repressing a small moan at the feel of what was undeniably male pressing almost perfectly between her legs. He bit his bottom lip, drawing her attention almost hypnotically to his mouth. Tracing her hands up his all too defined sides she leaned over him, licking her own lips before claiming his.

Their kiss was forceful, his tongue winding into her mouth and drawing hers back to his like the ebb and flow of a wave. Even with her head reeling from the intensity she could feel his large hands curl around her rear and draw her closer to him, repositioning her ever so slightly atop him so his length was dangerously close to her most intimate of places. She huffed a breath at the sensation, raw need taking control of her mind and leaving her with the single-minded determination of an animal in heat.

"Zuko." She moaned under her breath in a rasping plea, barely able to speak between his ongoing assaults to her mouth and rear.

As soon as his name escaped her she felt his entire manner change. In an instant she was no longer in control, his mouth pulled into a dazzling smile somehow taking her breath away even more than his kiss had.

In all her years knowing him she had never seen him smile quite like that. He'd smirked, he'd tactfully grinned, she'd even seen him greet people with a diplomatic smile, but she'd never seen him so completely delighted and frankly it increased her lust tenfold.

His large hands moved from her rear torturously slowly up her back, sending uncontrollable tremors through her that she was sure he could feel. Finally they stopped at the neckline of her dress, his rough hands gently caressing her bare skin where her dress ended before pulling it down and off of her. The blue fabric pooled around her hips, covering them in a swell of soft folds that splayed over them both like the rippling of water.

Zuko's eyes darkened with animalistic yearning as he glimpsed her breasts for the first time. His hands, calloused from training, were warm against her now bare skin and as quickly as she had topped him she was beneath him once more, his silky hair tickling her chest as his mouth claimed her nipple. Air rushed from Katara's mouth in a hiss, completely paralyzed by the new and all too welcome sensation. She clutched fistfuls of his hair and panted as his teeth nipped at her and his stubble coated chin brushed across her already sensitive flesh.

She bucked her hips as she reached the sweet precipice of pleasure at his hand. Her mind was spiraling, seeing nothing but feeling everything. When she finally came down from her high Zuko was leaning over her, watching her face intently with a look of satisfaction and lust gleaming in his eyes. She tore her gaze away from him, blushing as she realized she'd had such an extreme reaction while he watched her.

"Don't be shy." His husky voice rumbled from above her. "I'll take you to even greater heights, of that I can promise you."

Katara shivered, unsure how such a thing could even be considered possible. Before she had the chance to contemplate it, however, his warm hands were gripping her sides and lifting her slightly off the bed. He slid the remainder of her dress from her body and she inhaled sharply, her heart thundering in her chest. She'd never felt so exposed and vulnerable to another person. It was terrifying, yet at the same time exhilarating and as he gazed upon her nude form a heat rose in her stomach that slowly grew into a smoldering desire she feared could never be extinguished.

He ground against the now exposed flesh between her thighs and she moaned, unable to repress the sound. The noise only fueled his desire and he slipped a finger inside her wet flesh. Unable to wait any longer, and reassured she too was ready by her writhing body and heated moans, he positioned himself at her entrance and thrust inside. Her back arched off the bed, her hands desperately clutching the sheets and her eyes delicately misted with tears.

His eyes widened and, realizing too late he was her first, he froze.

"Katara." He apologized with just her name.

She released the bed sheets from her grip and reached up to run her delicate hand along the line of his jaw. She smiled up at him, blinking the fine misting of tears from her eyes.

"Please, Zuko." She pleaded up at him, grinding her own hips into him in a way that sent his eyes rolling to the back of his head in pleasure. "I need you."

His mind warred for a brief moment between desire and reason before desire inevitably won out and he thrust into her once more. She whimpered then moaned, as her mind became a haze of longing and pleasure. She cried out his name, cried out profanities and at times simply cried out, as he brought her to climax again and again.

She could feel him desperately trying to hold on, concentrating on her over himself, and clenched down around him with a knowing smirk. He grunted, thrusting a few more times before spilling into her and collapsing atop her.

They were both left panting and barely able to move, sticky with sweat and entangled in the covers of the bed that had seemed to get in their way.

_**A/N: Okay so this took an epic amount of time to post but work has been absolutely crazy over the past few weeks so I couldn't help it sadly. **_

_**So the dance Katara did to silence the noblewoman was modelled after a dance entitled "Part of me" from youtube dot com /watch?v=5Ca-bCdWe6A so definitely check that out. Also her dress is modelled after the dress Nicole Scherzinger wore on dancing with the stars for her Viennese Waltz. **_

_**Hope you liked this chapter! More to come soon! Please R&R **_


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